55 colleges face federal sex assault investigation
Some of the 55 colleges and universities facing federal investigation for their handling of sexual abuse allegations say they’re cooperating with the U.S. Education Department, though few are offering details about what information the agency is seeking.
Officer says general sexually assaulted her
Defense lawyers for an Army general facing sexual assault charges say his accuser’s testimony gave them plenty to challenge as they prepare to cross-examine her on Monday.
Senate blocks change to military sex assault cases
Bowing to the Pentagon, the Senate agreed after impassioned debate Thursday to leave the authority to prosecute rapes and other serious crimes with military commanders in a struggle that highlighted the growing role of women in Congress.
General to admit guilt on 3 counts; denies assault
A U.S. Army general accused of sexually assaulting a junior officer will admit guilt on three lesser charges but maintains his innocence on allegations that he forced her to perform oral sex, his lawyer said Wednesday night.
Prosecutor in Army sex case wanted charges dropped
Less than a month before an Army general’s trial on sexual assault charges, the lead prosecutor broke down in tears as he told a superior he believed the primary accuser in the case had lied under oath.
Columbus man arrested on kidnapping, sexual assault charges
A Columbus man is behind bars after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman and held her against her will last week.
Army removes 588 troops from sensitive jobs
The Army removed 588 soldiers from sensitive jobs such as sexual assault counselors and recruiters after finding they had committed infractions such as sexual assault, child abuse and drunken driving, officials said Wednesday.
Bills seek to tackle backlog of untested rape kits
With possibly hundreds of thousands of rape kits untested across the country, a number of states are proposing legislation to address backlogs that in at least one case dates back nearly three decades.
Woody Allen’s allies cast doubt on abuse claims
Some of Woody Allen’s close allies have come to his defense, casting doubt on renewed accusations by Dylan Farrow that she was sexually assaulted by her then adoptive father when she was 7.
Obama targets college sexual assaults
President Barack Obama shone a light Wednesday on a college sexual assault epidemic that is often shrouded in secrecy, with victims fearing stigma, police poorly trained to investigate and universities reluctant to disclose the violence.
Report: Sexism part of academies’ culture
Students at the U.S. military academies often believe they have to put up with sexist and offensive behavior, a Pentagon report finds, reflecting a culture of disrespect that permeates the schools and their sports teams and fuels reports of sexual harassment and assaults.
Military sex assault reports jump 50 percent
The number of reported sexual assaults across the military shot up by more than 50 percent this year, an increase that defense officials say may suggest that victims are becoming more willing to come forward after a tumultuous year of scandals that shined a spotlight on the crimes and put pressure on the military to take aggressive action.
Obama signs bipartisan budget deal, defense bill
Rounding out a tough and frustrating year, President Barack Obama signed a bipartisan budget deal Thursday easing spending cuts and a defense bill cracking down on sexual assault in the military, as the president and Congress began pivoting to the midterm election year ahead.
Obama orders military to review sexual assault
President Barack Obama on Friday gave the military a one-year deadline to better prevent and respond to a wave of sexual assault in the ranks and warned that if progress isn’t made, he will consider tougher reforms than those approved by Congress.
2 kids kidnapped, one’s throat cut in Miss.
A man lured two brothers, ages 5 and 8, from their yard in south Mississippi and took them to his camper trailer, where he sexually abused them and slashed the older boy’s throat, authorities said Thursday.
Defense bill aims to address sexual assault crisis
A comprehensive defense policy bill that aims to deal with the epidemic of sexual assault in the military is heading to the Senate, where it could get slowed by Republican outrage over majority Democrats’ limits on GOP power.
Senate showdown over military sexual assault bill
WASHINGTON — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has secured public support from nearly half the Senate, but not enough votes, for her proposal to give victims of
Hundreds of new charges filed in kidnap case
The litany of charges against a Cleveland man outline in numbing detail the crimes his victims allegedly suffered over 10 years of imprisonment: August 2002, kidnapping. September 2004, kidnapping. November 2006, aggravated murder.
House considers jail term for military sex assault
The House is heading toward passage of a sweeping defense bill that reflects the outrage among lawmakers over the growing number of sexual assaults in the military.
Ariel Castro pleads not guilty in kidnap case
CLEVELAND — A man accused of holding three women captive in his home for about a decade pleaded not guilty Wednesday to hundreds of rape