A U.S. Military Academy at West Point colonel was arraigned for a second time in military court on Dec. 2 on charges to allegations of drinking with a cadet, tampering with witnesses and falsifying information, according to court documents.
Col. William Wright has been charged with three counts of failure to obey order or regulation, two counts of making false official statements and three counts of wrongful interference with an adverse administrative proceeding, according to an Army court docket.
The new charges are part of a legal saga that started June 18 when Wright, who served as director of the academy’s geospatial information science program, was first arraigned on nearly identical charges. Those charges were dropped in October.
Wright pleaded not guilty to the new charges and has requested a jury trial, according to Stars & Stripes, which was the first to report the new charges.
In June, Wright faced nine allegations of making inappropriate sexual remarks, providing and drinking alcohol with a cadet, endeavoring to influence testimonies and wrongfully contacting a cadet on the academy’s women’s tennis team, Military Times previously reported.
Wright allegedly denied specific instructions to refrain from reaching out to the cadet and also told another cadet to “kill” an administrative proceeding to his misconduct, Military Times reported.
He was reassigned at that time to a role in the academy where his contact with cadets was cut off, according to Military.com.
A year earlier, court documents show, Wright also allegedly disobeyed a regulation in Hawaii when he provided alcohol to a cadet and drank with them. He allegedly repeated the same behavior in Alaska several days later.
When reached by email Thursday, West Point reiterated a statement it provided Military Times in June.
“West Point holds our staff and faculty to high standards,” Col. Terence Kelley, the director of communications at West Point, said. “Upon allegations that our cadre have not upheld our standards, we promptly investigate to determine the facts, protect, and assist potential victims, and hold alleged violators accountable.”
The trial is set to begin Jan. 6, 2025.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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