Fort Hood soldier might be linked to several sexual assaults, Army investigators say
A soldier stationed at Fort Hood was detained last week after investigators determined the soldier might be linked to multiple sexual assaults on the Central Texas post, according to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.
Investigators said a 29-year-old soldier was detained at the gates of Fort Hood on Oct. 2 after being accused of sexually assaulting another soldier. The suspect, now believed to be linked to several other sexual assaults on the post, is in pretrial confinement. Investigators did not release the soldier's identity.
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In July, Army Criminal Investigation Division agents said they found commonalities among other unsolved sexual assault investigations, but could not definitively link the crimes. Fort Hood military leaders said at that time they worked to reinforce safety and security measures after noticing the similarities.
Army CID officials would not elaborate further on what those similarities were, stating that they are trying to protect the investigation's integrity.
“We continue to work with leaders throughout Fort Hood to build on safety awareness, and we will pursue any incidents of sexual assault,” said Maria Thomas, a special agent for the Army CID's Central Texas office. "Army CID thoroughly investigates every report of alleged felony-level sexual misconduct and follows every lead available.”
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The slaying of Spc. Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood in 2020 triggered efforts by the Army over the past two years to provide more resources and support for victims of sexual crimes among soldiers.
These initiatives include safety briefings; education on how and when to report suspicious activity; women’s self-defense classes; inspections of barracks; and the addition of several investigative tools that help identify people committing crimes, according to a CID statement.
Authorities believe another Fort Hood soldier, Spc. Aaron Robinson, beat Guillen to death with a hammer in an armory room on the post the morning of April 22, 2020. Robinson fatally shot himself July 1 as authorities sought to question him, according to Killeen police.
It wasn't until April 2021, however, that Army leaders confirmed Guillen was also sexually harassed and subjected to retaliation at Fort Hood, as her family had consistently alleged since her death.
Guillen's case brought greater public scrutiny on how the military handles sexual crimes.
This year, Congress passed new legislation that stripped military commanders of their powers to prosecute sexual assault cases. The new policies were included in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Actthat President Joe Biden signed into law.
Since the creation of America's armed forces in 1775, commanders, not lawyers, have been in charge of criminal justice for active military members. The new legislation, for the very first time, gave that authority to independent military prosecutors when involving such crimes as sexual assault, murder, manslaughter and kidnapping. It also created a stand-alone military offense for sexual harassment.
Lawmakers, who for decades have demanded this change in the military judicial system, believed the Army's past practices were problematic because those who investigate sexual crimes were often leaders in the victim's direct chain of command, leading to a conflict of interest when they had relationships with the accused.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Fort Hood soldier detained, may be linked to multiple sexual assaults
