Army captain keeps retirement after 'motorboating' subordinate at promotion ceremony: report

The Louisiana National Guard allowed an officer to retire with benefits after a misconduct scandal on an overseas deployment.

"A former Louisiana National Guard officer was allowed to retire after a general court-martial convicted him of charges stemming from 'motorboating' a subordinate soldier during an informal promotion ceremony while deployed to Jordan in May 2021, Army Times has confirmed. Capt. Billy Joe Crosby Jr., a logistics officer who was overseas with the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during its recent deployment, was initially charged with abusive sexual contact and conduct unbecoming an officer, according to court records obtained by Army Times," the publication reported.

Crosby was the officer-in-charge.

"The officer struck a deal that erased the abusive sexual contact charge. He pled guilty to assault consummated by battery — a non-sexual offense — and conduct unbecoming, records reveal. Crosby, a prior enlisted soldier who participated in the 1989 invasion of Panama, was confined for 30 days. The plea deal also prevented the judge from dismissing him from the Army, which would have kept him from collecting his retirement," the Army Times reported.

A non-commissioned officer reportedly heard Crosby announce twice that he intended to "motorboat" the victim and said that was the purpose of chest-placed rank patches.

READ: Former Trump aide bursts out laughing after hearing Madison Cawthorn praise former president's 'loyalty'

"Crosby, who initially declared he would plead not guilty, changed his plea after negotiating a deal that reduced the charges and protected his retirement. The removal of the abusive sexual contact charge, which was dismissed as part of the deal, also meant that he did not have to register as a sex offender," the Army Times reported.

Stars and Stripes reported, "the Army released the court documents after an image of the findings emerged recently on Reddit, along with speculation as to what occurred."

The Army Times reported prosecutors described the practice of “motorboating” as “when a person places his or her face between a [woman]’s breasts and shakes his or her head back and forth while making sounds resembling a boat motor.”