Sheriff, Army Investigate Soldier On Allegations

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Fort Carson soldier under investigation by the Army on allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor is the subject of a separate investigation by sheriff's deputies, authorities said Friday.

The El Paso County Sheriff's Department learned of the parallel investigations Friday, sheriff's Lt. Jeff Kramer said.

Fort Carson confirmed Wednesday that the Army Criminal Investigation Command was investigating several soldiers on allegations of sexual misconduct involving under-age girls. Fort Carson didn't say how many soldiers were under investigation, where the alleged misconduct took place, how many girls were allegedly involved or how old they were.

Kramer said the alleged incident under investigation by the sheriff's department involved a 14-year-old girl and happened off-post. He said no other information would be released.

The sheriff's investigation is continuing, he said.

Fort Carson is an infantry post outside Colorado Springs. Some of the post is in El Paso County.

Separately, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported Friday that Fort Carson officials haven't released pre-trial charging documents in two unrelated cases of alleged sexual misconduct.

In one case, a soldier is awaiting trial on undisclosed allegations of violating military sexual misconduct laws. In the other, Fort Carson officials refused to release charge information before another soldier was convicted of indecent liberties with a child.

An Army spokesman at the Pentagon, Lt. Col. Justin Platt, said the Army has no standard on releasing charge sheets in courts-martial and the decision is left up to local commanders.

A Fort Carson spokeswoman didn't immediately answer a request from The Associated Press for comment.

Eugene Fidell, president emeritus of the National Institute of Military Justice, said the secrecy makes the public suspicious.

"The normal reaction by modern American observers is that somebody is trying to hide something," said Fidell, who now teaches military law at Yale University. "Why would you do that?"

Fidell maintained the charge sheets must legally be released.

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