An Air Force major general was found guilty by a military judge of one of three abusive sexual contact specifications in Ohio, Axios reports. The verdict in the case of Maj. Gen. William Cooley, who pleaded not guilty to all three charges related to a 2018 incident involving a woman in Albuquerque, N.M., "marks the first court-martial trial and conviction of a general officer in the Air Force’s 75 year history," said a U.S. Air Force statement,
Cooley faced one charge of sexual assault under Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, with three specifications — one of forcible kissing and two of forcible touching. The former Air Force Research Laboratory commander was found guilty of the first specification, but cleared of the other two by Col. Christina Jimenez, a senior military judge. "This case clearly demonstrates the commitment of Air Force leaders to fully investigate the facts and hold Airmen of any rank accountable for their actions when they fail to uphold Air Force standards," said Col. Eric Mejia, Staff Judge Advocate for Air Force Materiel Command, Cooley's sentencing hearing is due to begin Monday.