AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLO. -- Three Air Force Academy cadets are facing various sex charges in unrelated incidents, according to officials.
Robert Evenson faces charges that include having a wrongful dating relationship and rape, Kyle Cressy faces rape and unlawful sexual contact charges, and Stephan Claxton faces underage drinking, exposure and sexual contact charges.
Academy officials said the three cases are not related.
“The alleged misconduct in each of the three cases is unrelated, it occurred at different times over the last fifteen months, and Academy officials received victims’ reports at various times," Col. Tamra Rank, the Academy’s vice superintendent, said in a statement. "The fact that the charges in all three cases are being preferred at this time is due to the near simultaneous completion of each individual investigation.”
Counsel for the government and defense are working on the dates and times for an Article 32 hearing for each case, which will most likely be late January or early February. An Article 32 hearing is equivalent to a civilian grand jury proceeding. An investigating officer presides over an Article 32 hearing, and submits his or her report of the proceedings to the Superintendent, who is the installation general court martial convening authority.
The Superintendent will then decide if the case will go to trial.
"Each case will be adjudicated independently and the accused in each case is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Rank said. “We take these allegations seriously. Sexual misconduct is a particularly egregious offense, and we have a zero tolerance policy in the Air Force. We expect the best from our cadets, and do not tolerate unacceptable behaviors."
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