THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 10, 1997 TAG: 9702100119
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 27 lines
Army Secretary Togo West said Sunday the policy that left the Army's senior noncommissioned officer on the job despite allegations of sexual misconduct undoubtedly will be reconsidered.
West said it was Army policy that relieved drill instructors of duty at a base in Maryland after they were accused of sexual harassment - but left on the job Army Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney, who now is under similar fire.
It is ``a policy we do not have with respect to other commanders or leaders of the armed forces,'' West said on ABC's ``This Week.'' The woman who accused him, an Army sergeant major who worked with McKinney, described the policy as ``a different system of justice.''
McKinney, the Army's top enlisted soldier, has denied sexual assault allegations by retired Sgt. Maj. Brenda Hoster, who said his actions forced her to leave the service after 22 years. He has stepped down from a panel studying sex abuse in the Army. ILLUSTRATION: Army Secretary Togo West
KEYWORDS: SEXUAL MISCONDUCT SEX SCANDAL ARMY SEXUAL
HARASSMENT