Major General William T. Cooley has been found guilty of one of three specifications of sexual violence related to a 2018 incident in New Mexico, according to the BBC. A senior military judge found him guilty of “the first clarification,” a “kiss (victim) on the lips and tongue, with the intention of satisfying his sexual desire,” “the statement said. The judge found Cooley not guilty of the other two specifications.
Cooley pleaded not guilty.
According to a statement from the BBC, the unnamed victim said in court testimony that “Cooley wanted to ride after a one-day social event in the backyard.”
He continues: “During the short trip, she said that he told her that he dreamed of having sex with her. She claims that he pressed her to the driver’s side window, forcibly kissed her and touched her through her clothes.
The Air Force did not name the victims of the sexual assault, but the victim agreed to allow news outlets to reveal her relationship to Cooley without naming her.
The victim’s lawyer, Ryan Guilds, praised the military trial as “fair” and praised his client’s courage during the trial.
“It is very difficult to survive a criminal case,” Guilds said in a statement. “That’s one of the many reasons you see so few of these cases go to court-martial.”
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