Air Force general pleads guilty to adultery, dereliction of duty

A two-star Air Pressure normal pleaded responsible Monday to adultery and dereliction of responsibility for pursuing an unprofessional relationship because the uncommon court-martial of a high-ranking officer acquired underway at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, the Air Pressure’s former pilot coaching boss, entered a responsible plea forward of opening arguments within the case, an Air Pressure spokesperson and a spokesperson for Stewart’s protection crew confirmed to Air Pressure Instances.

He initially pleaded not responsible to all fees throughout a listening to in March. The protection crew’s spokesperson declined to reply why Stewart opted to modify his plea on a number of fees.

Stewart maintains he’s not responsible of allegedly sexually assaulting an unnamed girl and allegedly taking management of an airplane inside 12 hours of consuming alcohol throughout a piece journey to Altus Air Pressure Base, Oklahoma, in April 2023.

Stewart allegedly penetrated a girl’s vulva along with his mouth and penis with out her consent on a number of events whereas visiting Altus, a coaching hub for airmen throughout the air mobility enterprise, in keeping with a cost sheet obtained by Air Pressure Instances. His attorneys have contended that whereas he did have intercourse with the lady, it was consensual.

Stewart was fired from his job main nineteenth Air Pressure, which manages a big swath of airman coaching packages, in Could 2023 amid a misconduct investigation by Air Training and Coaching Command boss Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson. He was charged in September 2023 with two counts of sexual assault, two counts of dereliction of responsibility, one rely of conduct unbecoming of an officer, and one rely of extramarital sexual conduct.

In January, the two-star requested Air Pressure Secretary Frank Kendall to permit him to retire in lieu of going through navy trial. That request was denied in February, paving the best way for the second time in Air Pressure historical past {that a} normal officer has stood trial, in addition to the second time {that a} normal has confronted court-martial for sexual assault.

The case stalled final week over jury choice. Stewart opted to be tried by a panel of his friends, requiring the service to assemble an eight-person jury comprised of Air Pressure officers who outrank him or who pinned on a second star earlier than him — limiting the pool of potential jurors to 68 airmen. The Air Pressure introduced 18 jurors in for questioning earlier than seating a panel on Saturday, AETC spokesperson Capt. Scarlett Trujillo stated Monday.

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Stewart faces a reprimand, high-quality, dismissal, forfeiture of pay and as much as 18 months confinement on the adultery and dereliction of responsibility fees. If discovered responsible on all fees, he faces a minimal sentence of dismissal or dishonorable discharge, or as much as 66 years in confinement and forfeiture of pay.

Maj. Gen. Invoice Cooley, the previous Air Pressure Analysis Laboratory commander who in April 2022 grew to become the primary normal officer to face court-martial for sexual misconduct, retired as a colonel in June 2023 after being convicted by a navy choose of abusive sexual conduct for forcibly kissing his brother’s spouse. An enchantment with the Air Pressure Courtroom of Legal Appeals is pending.