Army Sexual Assault Lawyer Accused of Sexual Assault

Just as two separate bills that address the issue of sexual assault in the military are set to be voted on in the Senate today, allegations against an Army lawyer in charge of prosecuting such assaults illustrates just how byzantine and troublesome the structural apparatus for dealing with this very real problem is.

As Stars and Stripes reports, Lt. Col. Joseph “Jay” Morse, supervisors for the Army’s special victim prosecutors, has been suspended after allegations surfaced that he himself groped a lawyer under his supervision. At a legal conference on sexual assault.

Not good.

Sources told Stars and Stripes that the female Army lawyer alleged that Morse attempted to kiss and grope her against her will. The alleged assault reportedly took place in a hotel room at a 2011 sexual assault legal conference attended by special victims prosecutors in Alexandria, Va., before he was appointed as chief of the Trial Counsel Assistance Program.

An Army official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter confirmed an investigation was under way.

“We can confirm that this matter is currently under investigation and that the individual in question has been suspended from duties pending the outcome of the investigation,” the official said. “Given that this is still an open case, we are precluded from providing any additional information at this point.”

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Full article here: http://www.mediaite.com/online/army-sexual-assault-lawyer-accused-of-sexual-assault/