On Saturday, a US Air Force general officer was found guilty of abusive sexual contact at a military court in Ohio, the Air Force said in a statement. This is the first court-martial trial and conviction of a general officer in the military branch’s history.

According to an Air Force announcement, Maj. Gen. William T. Cooley was found guilty of one of three sexual assault charges stemming from a 2018 incident in New Mexico. According to the statement, a senior military court found him guilty of “the first specification, ‘kissing (the victim) on the lips and tongue with the aim to indulge his sexual desire.'” Cooley was found not guilty on the other two specifications.

Cooley had entered a not guilty plea.

According to the Air Force statement, the anonymous victim testified in court that “Cooley requested a lift following a day-long backyard party gathering.”

It proceeded as follows: “During the brief journey, she claims he expressed fantasies about having sex with her. She said he shoved her against the driver’s side window, kissed her violently, and grabbed her through her clothing.”

Although the Air Force does not identify sexual assault victims, the victim consented to news organizations disclosing her relationship with Cooley without her name.

Ryan Guilds, the victim’s attorney, praised the court-martial procedure as “fair” and lauded his client’s courage throughout the trial.

“It is very hard to be a survivor in a criminal case,” Guilds said in a statement. “That is one of the many reasons you see so few of these cases go to court-martial.”

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