Former MTI Pleads Guilty to Sexual Misconduct

SSgt. Ryan Deraas, a former military training instructor at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., pled guilty to two charges and eight specifications of misconduct for assaulting two recruits and pursuing five inappropriate relationships with trainees, reported the San Antonio Express-News. As part of his plea bargain, Deraas admitted to having sex with a woman who was still in technical training school, according to the newspaper’s March 5 report. Without the deal, Deraas faced up to one year in jail. Instead, a military judge sentenced him on March 5 to three months in jail and give him a bad-conduct discharge, reported the Express-News. “I have no one to blame for my actions. I made horrible choices,” said Deraas during his court-martial. Deraas’ case was the ninth court-martial resulting from sexual misconduct by former MTIs at Lackland. So far, 32 current and former trainers have come under investigation for personal and sexual misconduct against 62 alleged victims, according to the newspaper.