9NEWS Reporter Amanda Martin with details on the latest sexual assault allegations at the Air Force Academy, July 22, 2003.
More than 60 former or current female cadets have come forward to say they were sexually assaulted within the last decade and some said they were punished for minor infractions after they reported the attacks. The academy confirms two male cadets are under investigation for the latest reports.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, a senior at the Air Force Academy is suspected of sexually assaulting a 24-year-old civilian. Investigators say it happened Sunday at about 1:30 a.m. in a public parking lot at 25 N. Cascade Avenue. Investigators say the focus of their investigation now is to determine whether or not the sexual contact was consensual.
The academy isn't releasing details about the other investigation, but a Colorado Springs newspaper reports that a male cadet allegedly assaulted a female cadet this past weekend as well.
"The cases are under investigation. It would be inappropriate to comment," academy spokesman John VanWinkle said. "We will investigate any and all misbehavior."
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo. says he believes the Air Force will handle the reports appropriately.
"I'm convinced the new administration with superintendent Rosa is serious about enforcing the Agenda for Change,' said Allard. Cadets are going to find out just how serious they are."
The academy's "Agenda for Change" was put in place last March. It includes a new system of reporting and investigating sexual assault. Allard concedes we have no way of knowing yet whether that system is working, but he says he's confident it is.
It also indicates that the cadets at the academy are having some confidence in the system, otherwise the alleged victims probably would not have made those reports," he said.
While that may be the case, it's not known yet who actually reported the allegations. It may not have been the victims. Under the new system, anyone who hears about an alleged assault must report it.
"I do know the academy has spent a lot of time thinking about it and putting into place the recommendations for change, but I think the jury is still out in terms of whether or not it will be better for victims and for offenders," said Cari Davis, an executive director at a Colorado Springs rape crisis center.
The district attorney is reviewing the case involving the cadet and the civilian to decide whether to file charges. Police say they found the alleged victim intoxicated and semi-conscious in the back of a pickup truck.
An independent committee in Washington, D.C., continues to investigate the academy. Sen. Allard is a member of that committee, along with retired military officials, medical specialists and others. The committee expects to release its report in late September.
Two men associated with the academy have been charged with rape since the scandal broke. In one of the cases, an investigating officer is expected to determine by Friday whether 2nd Lt. Ronen Segal, a 2002 academy graduate posted at nearby Cheyenne Mountain, should face a court-martial on allegations he raped a cadet at his Colorado Springs home last August.
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