Army Col. Kevin M. Russell is facing sexual assault charges at an Aug. 25 trial at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to the Army’s trial judiciary docket.
Russell faces five counts of violating Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the docket shows. He was arraigned in June and has pleaded not guilty, according to the records.
The charge sheets and who made the allegations against Russell are not releasable at this time, said Lt. Col. Loren Bymer, a spokesman for U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
Task and Purpose, which first reported the charges, noted that Russell is a Special Forces-qualified officer who previously served with the 82nd Airborne Division and 7th Special Forces Group.
Russell is currently on active duty assigned to USASOC, with duty at the overarching U.S. Special Operations Command, Bymer said in an email Tuesday.
Russell also served with U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Task Force-Bravo until roughly a year ago, and as special operations liaison to U.S. Central Command.
A civilian attorney representing Russell, Michael Waddington, did not immediately return a request for comment placed at his offices on Tuesday.
“As with any criminal allegation, Col. Russell is presumed innocent until proven guilty at court-martial,” Elise Van Pool, another USASOC spokesperson, told Task and Purpose.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
