ASSAULT - The Salt Lake Tribune

Hagel orders review of sex-abuse prevention

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:52:13 MDT

Hagel orders review of sex-abuse prevention

By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR The Associated Press

Updated May 17, 2013 08:52PM MDT

washington • Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday ordered the military to recertify all 25,000 people involved in programs designed to prevent and respond to sexual assault, an acknowledgement that assaults have escalated beyond the Pentagon’s control. He said this step, which also applies to the military’s approximately 19,000 recruiters and must be completed by July 1, is one among many that will be taken to fix the problem of sexual abuse and sexual harassment within every branch of the m...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Assault on Brown athlete was self-defense says lawyer

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:02:31 MDT

Assault on Brown athlete was self-defense says lawyer

The Associated Press

Updated May 18, 2013 12:02AM MDT

Providence, R.I. • The lawyer for a Connecticut man charged with an assault on a Brown University basketball player that left him hospitalized with severe head injuries has told a judge it was self-defense. Tory Lussier of Vernon, Conn., made his initial appearance in Providence District Court on Friday on a felony assault charge. He was released on $10,000 surety bail. He had no comment outside court. Lussier is accused of assaulting 21-year-old Joseph Sharkey of Norwood, Mass., early Sunda...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sexual abuse cases put Pentagon under fire

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:24:10 MDT

Sexual abuse cases put Pentagon under fire

By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR The Associated Press

Updated May 15, 2013 10:24PM MDT

Washington • One after another, the charges have tumbled out — allegations of sexual assaults in the military that have triggered outrage, from local commanders to Capitol Hill and the Oval Office. But for a Pentagon under fire, there seem to be few clear solutions beyond improved training and possible adjustments in how the military prosecutes such crimes. Changing the culture of a male-dominated, change-resistant military that for years has tolerated sexism and sexist behavior is proving to b...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CU’s Webb, Lewis charged with assault in brawl

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:58:26 MDT

CU’s Webb, Lewis charged with assault in brawl

The Associated Press

Updated May 15, 2013 11:58PM MDT

Boulder, Colo • Colorado quarterback Jordan Webb and former Buffaloes offensive lineman Alexander Lewis were both charged with second-degree assault Wednesday after prosecutors alleged they knocked a man unconscious in a weekend brawl. Lewis, who announced Friday that he plans to transfer to Nebraska, also was charged with two counts of misdemeanor harassment. Police say 22-year-old Lee Bussey was knocked unconscious during a fight with Lewis and Webb near the university that started after L...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Coordinator of Army sexual assault prevention office accused of ‘abusive sexual contact’

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:43:40 MDT

Coordinator of Army sexual assault prevention office accused of ‘abusive sexual contact’

By ROBERT BURNS The Associated Press

Updated May 14, 2013 06:43PM MDT

Washington • A soldier assigned to coordinate a sexual assault prevention program in Texas is under investigation for “abusive sexual contact” and other alleged misconduct and has been suspended from his duties, the Army announced Wednesday. The announcement came just one week after an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office was himself arrested on charges of groping a woman in a parking lot. The two cases highlight a problem that is drawing increased scrutiny in the Cong...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Brown athlete remains critical after assault

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:03:57 MDT

Brown athlete remains critical after assault

The Associated Press

Updated May 15, 2013 05:03PM MDT

Providence, R.I. • A Brown University basketball player remains in critical condition after suffering what police described as severe head injuries in a weekend assault. A spokeswoman for Rhode Island Hospital said Tuesday that 21-year-old Joseph Sharkey of Norwood, Mass., is still critical. Providence police say a man came up to Sharkey early Sunday morning while he was talking to a group of women around Thayer and George streets on the East Side and hit him. Authorities initially said the ...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah cold case murder suspect arrested in Alaska

Sat, 11 May 2013 17:01:31 MDT

Utah cold case murder suspect arrested in Alaska

By Michael McFall | The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 11, 2013 05:01PM MDT

Whoever sexually assaulted, beat and killed 92-year-old Grace Mae Odle left clues. A man’s clothing was found in Odle’s room. There were hair samples and partial fingerprints. It’s taken 20 years, but police and prosecutors believe they know who left the evidence. Stephen Phillip Ellenwood, 40, was arrested Wednesday in Alaska. Police documents state that he was living in the small town of Haines when Alaska state troopers and police from Haines and Ogden descended on his home. Ellenwood fled ...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Military sex assault reports up, changes ordered

Tue, 07 May 2013 22:06:41 MDT

Military sex assault reports up, changes ordered

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and DONNA CASSATA The Associated Press

Updated May 7, 2013 10:06PM MDT

Washington • Sexual assaults in the military are a growing epidemic across the services and thousands of victims are still unwilling to come forward despite a slew of new oversight and assistance programs, according to a new Pentagon report. Troubling new numbers estimate that up to 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, according to survey results released against a backdrops of scandals including an ongoing investigation into more than 30 Air Force instructors for...

Tennis: Tomic’s hitting partner calls for father ban

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:05:13 MDT

Tennis: Tomic’s hitting partner calls for father ban

The Associated Press

Updated May 8, 2013 12:05AM MDT

Paris • Bernard Tomic’s hitting partner is calling for the Australian tennis player’s father to be banned from the sport following an alleged assault. John Tomic was charged with assault after allegedly head-butting the hitting partner, Thomas Drouet, on Saturday before this week’s Madrid Open. In an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe on Tuesday, Drouet says he wants “to help Bernard forbid his father from having access to tournaments” and for him “to be banned from the ATP and the ...

Airman who led sex assault unit charged in groping

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:08:52 MDT

Airman who led sex assault unit charged in groping

By MATTHEW BARAKAT The Associated Press

Updated May 6, 2013 09:08PM MDT

Arlington, Va. • An Air Force officer who led the branch’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response unit has been charged with groping a woman in a northern Virginia parking lot, authorities said Monday. Arlington County Police said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski of Arlington faces a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery following an alleged assault about 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the Crystal City area of the county. A police report says that the 41-year-old Krusinski was drunk and grabbed a woman’s breast...

Drunken argument ends with stabbing in Orem

Sun, 05 May 2013 12:27:02 MDT

Drunken argument ends with stabbing in Orem

By Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 5, 2013 12:27PM MDT

An Orem man was in custody Sunday morning after police said he stabbed one of his roommates three times during an alcohol-fueled assault. Orem police said the 26-year-old was drinking with two men and a woman Saturday night when someone said something that upset him and he tried to punch his roommate. Between them, the two male roommates were able to subdue the 26-year-old and took him to a bedroom to cool off, police said. About 30 minutes later, the man emerged armed with a small knife and tr...