A non-commissioned officer charged with raping a young applicant in his Lake Jackson office went on trial Thursday in San Antonio.
Tech. Sgt. Jaime Rodriguez could get life in prison on eight charges and 32 specifications of misconduct in his trial here at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
The trial was to start Monday, but was delayed.
Rodriguez is accused of trying to develop intimate relationships with 14 women, most of them applicants seeking to join the Air Force. Two victims were recruiter's assistants, airmen who had recently graduated from basic training and doing the job while spending time at home.
The Air Force said the Houston-area recruiter used his position to leverage sexual favors from a woman identified as Female 15, and lied in an official statement.
When questioned about the incident, Rodriguez was asked if he sent the woman photos of himself wearing only underwear.
“No,” he replied.
The charges reflected a pattern of misconduct among basic training instructors at Lackland, 33 of them brought under investigation during the past 18 months for pursing or having intimate relationships with recruits and technical school trainees.
So far, 63 people have been classified by the Air Force as victims, all but a few of them women.
Read more here: http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Houston-area-recruiter-on-trial-in-airman-s-rape-4582865.php