Air Force: Sergeant may have exposed others to HIV

[unhappycamper]

Air Force: Sergeant may have exposed others to HIV
By The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 -- 5:44 pm

The military has arrested an Air Force sergeant and accused him of having unprotected sex with partners he met at "swinger" parties in central Kansas even though he knew he was HIV positive, according to a military affidavit.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations said Tuesday the man has not been charged but was ordered into pretrial confinement at a military jail on McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita by his commander while the investigation continues. The 43-year-old airman was arrested Aug. 9 and was expected to be charged in mid-September, said Air Force OSI spokeswoman Linda Card.

The Air Force was working with local law enforcement and public health officials as part of the investigation, Card said.

"The public health people outside the base are all working with the military health people, the mayor's office and our law enforcement people — so this isn't being kept secret from the public," Card said.

The airman faces an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a preliminary hearing, in September to determine whether there is enough evidence to refer his case to a general court martial, Card said. Two earlier military hearings found that his pretrial confinement was "correct," she said. Military law allows for confinement without charges while investigations are ongoing.