US air force general convicted of abusive sexual contact losing ranking on retiring
A two-star US air force general convicted last year of abusive sexual contact for forcing his sister-in-law to kiss him will lose his rank on retiring, officials said.
William “Bill” Cooley was a major general but will end his career on Thursday as a colonel, officials said. The statement said the air force “expects its leaders to embody our core values and holds them accountable if they fall short of expectations”.
Cooley became the first general in the 76-year history of the US air force to face a military trial, after prosecutors accused him of drinking heavily at a barbecue with relatives in New Mexico in 2018, then trying to force himself on his brother’s wife.
News of Cooley’s demotion comes about a month after the Pentagon found military sexual assault reports increased about 1% during the last fiscal year. Protect Our Defenders, an organization which helped Cooley’s accuser press her case, said her success in holding accountable a high-ranking military leader was an “all too rare” outcome.
“There has been a perception and reality within our armed forces that the application of justice is different depending on your rank or race,” said Josh Connolly, senior vice-president of Protect Our Defenders. “Our service members deserve a justice system that treats everyone equally under the law and is blind to rank or race – we are still a long way from that.”
During a trial at Wright-Patterson air force base in Ohio in April last year, prosecutors outlined how the woman drove Cooley to his parents’ home to pick up some belongings after the cookout. He attempted to place her hand on his crotch and pushed her into a car window. Cooley then groped the woman’s breasts and genitals in what prosecutors argued was an attempt to satisfy a years-long desire.
The prosecution established that Cooley wrote an apology to his sister-in-law and brother, expressing how “his own selfish ego” hurt them. Cooley also sent emails to himself containing a confession but deleted them, prosecutors added.
Cooley was fired as commander of the research lab at Wright-Patterson in January 2020, after the woman reported him to his commanders. Military prosecutors filed abusive sexual contact charges. Cooley maintained his innocence and opted to face a judge rather than a jury.
Cooley did not testify but lawyers contended he did nothing more than share a consensual kiss. The woman testified. The military judge, Christina Jimenez, found Cooley guilty.
Jimenez ordered Cooley to forfeit $54,550 in pay and publicly reprimanded him while rejecting a request from prosecutors to expel him from the air force with a demotion and without retirement benefits, including his pension.
Once Cooley filed to retire, the US air force secretary decided to demote him to colonel “following an officer-grade determination”, officials said.
Cooley’s sister-in-law, who asked not to be named, said she “truly had a right to count on Bill to not physically hurt” her.
“I could have let Bill Cooley define me as a victim, but … in coming forward, in shining a bright light on truth, I am working to rewrite that narrative. And as a means of healing, I will work to channel the worst event of my life into something of service to benefit others.”
Source: The Guardian US
