The U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York has fired its deputy brigade tactical officer following a second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge in Michigan.
William F. Gentry, 56, a civilian employee at the academy since February, previously served as an Army infantryman, retiring as a sergeant major, Lt. Col. Terence Kelley, an academy spokesman, told Army Times Tuesday.
Details of the alleged crime were not available in court records.
“The U.S. Military Academy takes these allegations very seriously,” Kelley said in the statement. “The charges are unrelated to his role at West Point, and we assisted New York State law enforcement in his arrest and extradition to Michigan, terminated his employment, and he will not return to West Point.”
Gentry’s LinkedIn page lists service as a curriculum development and education senior enlisted advisor from 2015-2018 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The site also lists him as serving in the position of deputy director of education at the Noncommissioned Officer Center of Excellence from 2016 to 2018.
From early 2018 to 2019, Gentry lists contract work at Keybridge Technologies for the Army.
According to Michigan court records the alleged incident took place on Nov. 1, 2022, in Livingston County, Michigan.
The county prosecutor’s office issued the criminal complaint on Oct. 24, 2023. Gentry was extradited from New York state to Michigan following the complaint. He was arraigned on Nov. 20 and posted a $50,000 bail bond on Nov. 27.
A probable cause hearing was scheduled for Tuesday. He is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 5, according to Michigan court records.
Gentry served in the Army from February 1986 until February 2018, according to information provided by Army officials. He made sergeant major in April 2007. He served on a 2004-05 Afghanistan deployment, a 2007 and 2009-2010 Iraq deployment.
His service awards include the Legion of Merit, six Meritorious Service Medals, 10 Army Commendation Medals, a Combat Infantryman Badge, and Drill Sergeant Identification Badge.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
