One of the hot-button topics concerning the military has been cases of sexual assault and preventing these incidents in the future. The latest studies even suggest that occurrences of sexual assault against military members are more prevalent than previously thought. Another such story made headlines recently, as a Fort Leonard drill sergeant is being court-martialed for sexual misconduct against female recruits.

The sergeant is facing three charges and 27 specifications of sexual misconduct against eight separate women, spanning a three year time period from 2011 until 2014.

In 2011, the defendant was deployed to Afghanistan. An Army specialist also deployed at the same time claimed that the sergeant forced her to have sex with him.

From September 2013 to January 2014, the accused is said to have been involved in sexual misconduct as a drill sergeant regarding female soldiers. Some of the women claim that they believed their military career was threatened if they did not engage in sexual acts with the sergeant, and a fellow drill-sergeant accused him of improperly touching her.

The sergeant was officially charged in May of this year. After an Article 32 hearing, some of the sexual assault claims were dismissed, signaling that the assault allegations may have been overzealous. Many of the dismissed claims came from accusers facing their own disciplinary actions or forced military separations.

Since more attention has been brought to military sexual assault cases over the years, there number of accusations has also increased. As sexual assault reports in the military have increased by 50%, more and more military members are facing serious repercussions due to such charges.

The increase in reporting means that there is an increased likelihood that a solider will need an aggressive and dedicated military criminal defense attorney to uphold their reputation. Joseph L. Jordan, Attorney at Law has 10 years of experience in the United States Army and will travel worldwide to help secure the best possible outcome. Give our firm a call for counsel.