Air Force Drops Rape Charges Vs. Officer

Las Vegas SUN , AP ^ | August 07, 2003

[carlo3b]

 
Air Force Drops Rape Charges Vs. Officer

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) - The Air Force said it has dropped charges against an officer accused of raping an Air Force Academy cadet last year.

Second Lt. Ronen Segal was accused of attacking the cadet at his Colorado Springs home on Aug. 25 after a night of drinking.

The charges were dropped after the investigating officer said the woman was capable of giving or withholding consent and "did not in any way object to or resist" sex, the Air Force said Thursday, according to The Gazette of Colorado Springs.

Segal, a 2002 Air Force Academy graduate assigned to the North American Aerospace Command, was the second man associated with the academy to be charged with rape since February, when dozens of female cadets began coming forward to say they had been attacked.

Segal had faced charges of rape, forcible sodomy and dereliction of duty by providing alcohol to a minor.

The investigating officer, Army Col. William Sells Jr., recommended dropping the charges, and Segal's commanding officer, Brig. Gen. Duane Deal of the 21st Space Wing, accepted the recommendation.

Segal said in a statement he was relieved that the charges were dropped.

The woman who accused Segal of rape could not be reached for comment.

[carlo3b]

Interesting.... I wonder when and if the second shoe will drop.. I hope they kick her A$$ out of the service after she is forced to admit what a horrible thing she did to this institution and man.

[carlo3b]

bbt

[freebilly]

I will guilty of politically incorrect hate speech if I comment on this story....

[FlyVet]

If you want to graduate the Academy these days, I guess it's best to be celibate. Priorities.

[George W. Bush]

All sexual fraternization should be forbidden within the services. Any officer who fraternizes with the enlisted or cadets should be dismissed. These problems would then cease.

Good order and discipline within the ranks would solve these problems. Until they finally curtail intramural sexual relationships, these same problems will recur.

In this instance, I think some (not all) of the female cadets are luring the officers, hoping for easy treatment, alliance for promotion or marriage within the service. The officers are then encouraged by their success in bedding some of the cadetettes into pressing themselves onto other cadetettes. Then some cry rape or harassment.

You'd think that the Air Force would have cleaned up its problems long before now. Especially in a civilian town like Colorado Springs where there's no reason why an officer has to hit on a cadet or enlisted for sex.

[Young Rhino]

Where does he go to get his good name back?

[Viet Vet in Augusta GA]

Never. The way the military works, his career is now toast and he will resign at the earliest possible moment.

[Alas Babylon!]

Fratenization between officers and enlisted persons is already illegal in accotdance with the Uniform Code of Military Juatice (UCMJ). I don't know if the UCMJ forbids cadet-officer relationships, but fratenization covers MORE than just sex. It forbids personal relationships of any type.

[A Simple Soldier]

He still engaged in an inappropriate senior-subordinate relationship, lets remember that. Not exactly sure if there was an explicit command relationship, probably not.

But he still was a commissioned officer and she was subordinate in rank (cadet ranks above warrant officer but below commissioned officer in the hierarchy). I don't have the UCMJ manual handy, but I know these relationships were addressed recently and made to be forbidden even if no command relationship exists.

I'd be curious to see what the relationship was while both were cadets.

[boxerblues]

I will guilty of politically incorrect hate speech if I comment on this story....

being politically correct takes away my right to free speech

[rabidralph]

I will guilty of politically incorrect hate speech if I comment on this story....

It's okay. You're guilty only of bad grammar, so far.

[Pern]

In the meantime, the young officer's career is ruined. He might as well resign his commission now, because he'll never make it past Capt (O-3), maybe Major (O-4) if he kisses up enough.

This is one of the reasons I left the Navy, too many bootcamp E-1's and E-2's would get mad at their senior enlisted supervisors, claim sexual harrassment, and the accuser would get a ticket to another duty station, while the accused person's career is ruined. In the military, you're guilty until proven innocent.

[TankerKC]

Especially in a civilian town like Colorado Springs where there's no reason why an officer has to hit on a cadet or enlisted for sex.

Note that this guy graduated in 2002 and this all happened in August (I assume 2002 also). That means that he probably knew this cadet while he was a cadet.

[TankerKC]

...cadet ranks above warrant officer but below commissioned officer in the hierarchy...

I've never heard that before. I know that enlisted folks do not salute cadets, but they certainly salute warrants.

[demlosers]

I've never heard that before. I know that enlisted folks do not salute cadets, but they certainly salute warrants.

Your notion is correct. The cadet rank isn't even above an E-1. They've got to wait until their swiggle line shoulder boards are replaced with butter bars.

[George W. Bush]

Fratenization between officers and enlisted persons is already illegal in accotdance with the Uniform Code of Military Juatice (UCMJ). I don't know if the UCMJ forbids cadet-officer relationships, but fratenization covers MORE than just sex. It forbids personal relationships of any type.

That's what I don't get in these cases. Why can't they just date civilians? Why hit on other military? This goes across the board including the gays. And this case, like Tailhook, was in a very civilian town. They had access to non-military for their romances. It would be easier to understand if they were at a base for months or years at the North Pole where they had no access to civilians.

You'd think that with some proper enforcement, there'd be a cessation of these kinds of cases. Personally, I think it's important for good morale and unit cohesion. Allowing sexual/romantic links among the military can hardly be anything but detrimental to the missions the military is assigned.

[CatoRenasci]

Good name? It said she was incapable of giving or witholding consent. Although that might not make it rape, it sure falls below the standards for an officer and gentleman when I was on active duty. I say cashier him and her on conduct unbecoming an officer.

[berserker]

That's what I don't get in these cases. Why can't they just date civilians?

Sex with subordinates in the military is not about sex, its about power. Its about making sure the female cadets know their place. Thats why civilian women won't do, because sex with them would not have the same meaning. And that is why it is wrong.

[Kevin Curry]

Sex with subordinates in the military is not about sex, its about power. Its about making sure the female cadets know their place. Thats why civilian women won't do

This has to rank as one of the most bizarre assertions I've read at FR in a lo-o-o-o-ong time.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Now there's a blanket statement that pretty much condemns every male military person. You certainly picked the right screen name...