A fifth woman has brought charges against the Army’s top enlisted man, Sergeant Major of the Army Gene McKinney. This woman is the first, however, to charge that McKinney physically assaulted someone in performance of her duties. McKinney is currently being charged with sexual misconduct and solicitation of adultery. A hearing to determine whether or not the Army holds McKinney over for a court-martial will now be expanded to include these new charges.
In related news, Brenda Hoster, the first woman to bring the charges against McKinney, will testify at the hearing. Her lawyer announced that prosecutors agreed to object if defense attorneys questioned Hoster about her sexual history during cross-examination. Hoster had earlier refused to testify because defense attorneys questioned other women who brought allegations against McKinney about their sexual histories and prosecutors did not object. The presiding officer over the hearing, Col. Robert Jarvis, has said he will enforce a military rule that prohibits defense attorneys from questioning women about their sexual histories in these types of matters, if the prosecution objects.
