U.S. Army investigates sexual assault prevention officer for sex abuse

The U.S. Army announced Tuesday that a sexual assault prevention officer at Fort Hood, Texas was under investigation for abusive sexual contact.

The unnamed Army sergeant first class had been assigned as an Equal Opportunity Advisor and Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program, according to the Army. He was immediately suspended from his position once the allegations were made, but has not been charged yet.

The alleged incident or incidents involved pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault, and maltreatment. The potential crimes were being investigated by special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.

The investigation came just a week after an Air Force sexual assault prevention officer was arrested for drunkenly assaulting a woman in a parking lot.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was upset and frustrated by the allegations. Hagel has vowed to reform the military judicial system to better address the staggeringly high rate of sexual assault. A recent Pentagon report found more than 70 sexual assaults are carried out against members of the U.S. military each day.

"To address the broader concerns that have arisen out of these allegations and other recent events, Secretary Hagel is directing all the services to re-train, re-credential, and re-screen all sexual assault prevention and response personnel and military recruiters," Little said in a statement.

"Sexual assault is a crime and will be treated as such," he added. "The safety, integrity, and well-being of every service member and the success of our mission hang in the balance. Secretary Hagel is looking urgently at every course of action to stamp out this deplorable conduct and ensure that those individuals up and down the chain of command who tolerate or engage in this behavior are appropriately held accountable."

-- --

["Stock Photo: Female Us Army Soldier" on Shutterstock]