Airman in Charge of Sexual Assault Prevention Charged With Sexual Battery
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, an Air Force officer in charge of the branch's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response unit, has been charged with one count of misdemeanor sexual battery after allegedly groping a woman in Virginia early Sunday morning.
Krusinski was reportedly drunk and grabbed a woman's breast and buttocks while in the parking lot of a strip club only a mile from the Pentagon. The woman fought him off, leaving bruises and cuts on his face, then called the police. He was immediately taken into custody and charged with sexual battery following an alleged assault on Sunday morning.
He was then released on $5,000 bond, and Krusinski is due back in court on Thursday. Krusinski has been removed from his post in the Air Force after the military learned of the arrest.
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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called Air Force Secretary Michael Donley on Monday to express his "outrage and disgust" after learning of the arrest.
"Secretary Hagel expressed outrage and disgust over the troubling allegation and emphasized that this matter will be dealt with swiftly and decisively," George Little, the Pentagon's top spokesman, said in a statement.
"A drunken male subject approached a female victim in a parking lot and grabbed her breasts and buttocks," Arlington officers wrote in the official police report. "The victim fought the suspect off as he attempted to touch her again and alerted police."
"Secretary Hagel has been directing the Department's leaders to elevate their focus on sexual assault prevention and response, and he will soon announce next steps in our ongoing efforts to combat this vile crime," Little said.
"Sexual assault has no place in the United States military," Little added. "The American people, including our service members, should expect a culture of absolutely no tolerance for this deplorable behavior that violates not only the law, but basic principles of respect, honor, and dignity in our society and its military."
