Sexual Assault Prevention Chief Arrested for . . . Sexual Battery

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, chief of the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response branch at the Pentagon, was arrested over the weekend for sexual battery in Arlington, Va., according to Arlington County’s crime report, issued on Monday. Police charged Krusinski, 41, for allegedly grabbing the breasts and buttocks of a woman in a parking lot in the early hours of May 5 while he was drunk, states the report. Krusinski’s arrest comes at a time when the Air Force has been dealing with a sex abuse scandal in Texas among its military training instructors and facing lawmakers’ ire for the decision of a three-star general to overturn a sexual assault conviction. In a statement, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke on Tuesday evening to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley about the “allegations of misconduct” regarding Krusinski. “Secretary Hagel expressed outrage and disgust over the troubling allegations and emphasized that this matter will be dealt with swiftly and decisively,” said Little. The Air Force has removed Krusinski from his position “pending the outcome of an investigation,” said Little. Stars and Stripes reported that Krusinski has been in the SAPR office only several months. The office, which a one-star general oversees, manages programs meant to prevent sexual assault in the ranks, support victims when offenses do occur, and hold perpetrators accountable.