Stars & Stripes

14 March 1996

By Doyle Tillman

Kaiserslautern bureau

Kaiserslautern, Germany - A career soldier accused of rape and related crimes was cleared Tuesday of all charges during a general court-martial in Kaiserslautern.

"I'm grateful for the support of my unit, the chain of command and my wife," Master Sgt. Fred E. Etheridge Jr. said in a statement issued by defense attorneys DAVID COURT and Capt. Gene Boyd immediately following the acquittal.

The 40-year-old had been charged with raping a 46-year-old soldier assigned to his office. Etheridge, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe's strength management office, was also charged with cruelty and maltreatment by sexual harassment and adultery.

The six-man, two-woman Army jury of enlisted and commissioned soldiers took 90 minutes to return a verdict.

Prosecutors Capts. Paul Metrey and Sam Mubangu argued that Etheridge had harboured feelings for the soldier and that on July 28, 1995, he entered her dormitory room and raped her.

The woman testified for more than two hours Monday. She said Etheridge asked about an offer to help garden the next day, a Saturday, at his home and then began attempting to undress her.

The woman testified that she initially pulled away, but was fearful of what he would do if she resisted, so she "stood up and said, 'Just take it.'"

After the incident, the woman testified that she showered twice and washed everything, except a bedspread and pillow case, and did not immediately report the incident.

The Criminal Investigation Command (CID) was called into the case in mid-August. An analysis of the bedspread and the pillowcase detected no semen or hair.

Etheridge, a member of the exclusive Audie Murphy Club, sat quietly throughout the proceedings as friends, co-workers and several senior officers - including Col. Steven D. Brown, deputy commander for the U.S. Army Element SHAPE, and Lt. Col Edward F. Olson, the U.S. element's battalion commander - testified on his behalf.

During the trial, psychiatrists testified that the woman showed signs of acute post-traumatic stress disorder.

Several soldiers testified that the woman was concerned about possible legal action that could be taken against her if Etheridge was acquitted, saying she was afraid of getting into trouble.