May 7, 2013 -- Updated 0236 GMT (1036 HKT)
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski has been removed from current duty, an Air Force official said Monday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expresses "outrage and disgust" over the allegations
- The arrest comes as the Pentagon faces scrutiny over sex assaults in the ranks
- The officer was serving as a branch chief but has been removed from duty
- Police said a woman accused him of fondling her breasts, buttocks
Lt. Col. Jeffrey
Krusinski, 41, has been removed from current duty, an Air Force official
said Monday. The official declined to be named because it is an ongoing
law enforcement matter.
Krusinski was placed in
charge of a section of the service's sexual assault prevention and
response program in February, running a five-person office, the Air
Force official said.
He was arrested just
after midnight Saturday in Arlington, Virginia, and is accused of
grabbing a woman's breasts and buttocks, Arlington County police said.
Police said the woman fought off her assailant when he tried to grab her
again before she called authorities.
Krusinski was held on a
$5,000 bond. Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said the
woman did not know her attacker.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the matter Monday with Air Force Michael Donley, according to the Pentagon.
"Secretary Hagel
expressed outrage and disgust over the troubling allegations and
emphasized that this matter will be dealt with swiftly and decisively,"
said George Little, Pentagon press secretary.
Krusinski's arrest comes
as the Pentagon has been under closer scrutiny from Congress over its
handling of sexual assault cases in the uniformed services.
"Sexual assault and rape
are not about the weakness of the victim, they're about power and
control," Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire, said at a March hearing on
the issue. "In a military context, that becomes an even greater
problem."
The Defense Department
reported 3,192 allegations of sexual assault involving service members
in 2011. It's expected to report an increase in 2012, but officials said
that it is not clear whether that's due to an increasing number of
incidents or because victims are becoming more comfortable in reporting a
crime that is often not reported.
The department has
stepped up efforts to hold perpetrators accountable, establishing a
"special victims unit" to handle cases, working to improve tracking of
reports and speeding transfers for troops who report a sexual assault by
a member of their unit.
"Secretary Hagel has
been directing the Department's leaders to elevate their focus on sexual
assault prevention and response, and he will soon announce next steps
in our ongoing efforts to combat this vile crime," Little said Monday.
"Sexual assault has no place in the United States military."
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