Posted on 03/31/2006 4:31:54 PM PST by Former Military Chick
WEST POINT, N.Y. - A cadet at the U.S. Military Academy has been charged with raping two former cadets, a West Point spokesman said Thursday in reporting the latest alleged sex assault involving a military academy.
Lonnie Story, a senior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., was on leave when the alleged incidents occurred in January 2005 and October 2005, Lt. Col. Kent Cassella said. The two women had already graduated at the time.
In an e-mail message to The Associated Press late Thursday, Story professed his innocence. He faces a pretrial investigation to decide whether the case should proceed to a court-martial.
Cassella said the cadet will be "presumed innocent until found guilty. ... He will continue his regular duties and is not in pretrial confinement."
The nation's military academies have been under scrutiny since 2003, when women at the Air Force Academy in Colorado began coming forward with accusations that they had been sexually assaulted by fellow cadets over the previous decade and were ignored or ostracized by commanders when they spoke out.
Since then, sexual assault allegations have also rocked the campuses of the Naval Academy and Coast Guard Academy.
Recent grads and cadets hang out all the time. Hell, recent grads and cadets whom they had completely legit relationships with at West Point, are dating, engaged, etc. I took spring leave in Paris--among those with me was a female grad from last year who is dating a male firstie. There were plenty of situations where the firstie, had he been a slimy guy, could have physically overpowered and raped her.
I don't see how you find the whole thing so far-fetched. Recent grad and cadet meet at some social function with their buddies, others leave the area...things can get very interesting very fast. 80% plus of rape cases here are accquaintance rapes. We all know each other, so we place too much trust in people when we're vulnerable.
As for my own experience, the folks I know in misconduct cases..the girls have fared worse. A plebe girl who was hooked into a flirtation with a male firstie who should have known much much better, got 30 more hours than he did. A friend who kissed her boyfriend goodbye after they were breaking up and was seen by the OC got 20 more hours than he did and her company 1SG tried to get her a reg board because she "might try and do it again." As if she was the whore in the situation, and well...he just had bad luck.
3% of all accusations of crime are fabricated. The stat is about the same for rape. I find the overwhelmingly skeptical reaction to this pretty baseless.
Recent grads and cadets hang out all the time
That is no different but ....
This rape appears to have occurred "off-post/reservation". Was it reported to the civilian authorities since they have jurisdiction?
80% plus of rape cases here are accquaintance rapes
I guess the question is how many rapes? This sounds like a USAFA problem getting out of hand at West Point ....
Officers involved in 'frat' cases get hammered on their OERs (it's against Army regulations hence illegal). While the "Os" may still have been at their 'Basic' courses .... 'Frat' is still frowned on ... Good Luck and Go DAWGs (if that is what E-2 is still called).
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