ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A Virginia judge seated a jury Tuesday for the trial of a U.S. Air Force officer on charges of assaulting a woman in a parking lot earlier this year.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, was the head of the Air Force's sexual-assault prevention unit at the time he allegedly pawed a woman near a cluster of bars and restaurants in Crystal City, which is a short distance from the Pentagon.
The Washington Post said Tuesday's jury selection in Arlington, Va., took several hours because of the high number of Pentagon employees in the jury pool.
Krusinski, who originally had been charged with sexual battery, has been reassigned to a desk job in the personnel department while his case is being litigated. The Air Force said it would wait until the trial was over before deciding on any internal disciplinary action.
Krusinski was charged by Arlington authorities at a time when the military's overall abilities to curb sex crimes involving service members was under sharp debate in Washington, the Post said. The Pentagon was insisting at the time that alleged sexual abuse and assault were being aggressively addressed, but critics said too many instances were being swept under the rug or brushed off by the chain of command.
