Army colonel charged with sexually assaulting fellow officer’s wife

An Army colonel who was fired from his post in October as commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division has been formally charged with sexually assaulting a fellow officer’s wife.

Army officials “referred charges upon Col. Jon Meredith to a general court-martial on April 21, 2023, and Col. Meredith was arraigned at Fort Cavazos, Texas on May 15, 2023,” according to a statement from 1st Cavalry Division spokesperson Lt. Col. Jennifer Bocanegra.

“The charges include two specifications of abusive sexual contact and two specifications of conduct unbecoming an officer,” the statement continued. “Charges are merely accusations, and the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

A charge sheet obtained by Army Times states that Meredith stands accused of violating UCMJ Articles 120 and 133 — rape and sexual assault, and conduct unbecoming of an officer, respectively — for the alleged actions last summer at Fort Hood, which has since been renamed Fort Cavazos.

The charge sheet reads as follows:

“In that Col. Jon Meredith, U.S. Army, a married man, did, at or near Fort Hood, Texas, on or about 23 July 2022, wrongfully grope the breast, inner thigh, and crotch of Ms. [redacted] and repeatedly kiss her on the mouth, when the Accused knew that Ms. [redacted] was then the civilian wife of [redacted] Army officer who was at the time participating in a field training exercise, and while the Accused knew that [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] daughter were present in the house, and that under the circumstances the Accused’s conduct was unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman.”

Meredith was fired from his post due to loss of confidence, Army Times previously reported. He commissioned in 1996 and was assigned commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division in May 2021.

He is scheduled to face court-martial on Oct. 18, 2023, according to the charge sheet.

Separately, Meredith’s wife, Col. Ann Meredith, was relieved as commander of the 89th Military Police Brigade, at Fort Cavazos in February due to a “loss of confidence in her judgment,” Army Times previously reported.

She later claimed on social media that her firing was due to a text message she sent that was considered to be interfering with her husband’s investigation, Stars & Stripes reported at the time.