{"id":50048,"date":"2023-09-15T20:26:37","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T20:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/09\/15\/sexual-contact-charge-dismissed-for-ex-fort-cavazos-brigade-commander\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:15:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:15:46","slug":"sexual-contact-charge-dismissed-for-ex-fort-cavazos-brigade-commander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2023\/09\/15\/sexual-contact-charge-dismissed-for-ex-fort-cavazos-brigade-commander\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexual contact charge dismissed for ex-Fort Cavazos brigade commander"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Army dismissed abusive sexual contact charges against the former commander of the 1st Cavalry Division\u2019s Fort Cavazos, Texas-based 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, according to court records and a III Corps spokesperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Col. Jon Meredith was fired from brigade command in October 2022 amid an investigation that ultimately led<\/a> to criminal charges. Meredith was charged with two specifications<\/a> of abusive sexual contact and two specifications of conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly groping and kissing a subordinate\u2019s wife without consent while her husband was away on a field exercise in July 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now Meredith will only go to trial for alleged conduct unbecoming an officer, according to Lt. Col. Tania Donovan, a spokesperson for III Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said the corps commander, Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, \u201cwithdrew and dismissed\u201d the sexual contact charges on Sept. 11, three days after a Sept. 8 pre-trial hearing. The move \u201cwas based on an assessment of multiple factors including a careful consideration of the current evidence, the interests of justice, input from the alleged victim, and preservation of good order and discipline,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before withdrawing the charges, Donovan said, the general engaged with the new independent Office of Special Trial Counsel and sought \u201can assessment by an OSTC civilian expert who is a seasoned prosecutor with decades of experience prosecuting sexual assault in the civilian criminal justice system.\u201d The new office, a product of Congress\u2019 military justice reforms<\/a>, will soon handle all prosecutions of major crimes across the service, and the military\u2019s other branches have similar structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\t