Air Force won’t file charges in abuse case
Doctor accused of molesting two children
WASHINGTON – The Air Force declined to charge a senior military doctor accused of sexually and physically abusing two elementary-school-age boys despite pleas from Air Force lawyers appointed to advocate for them, interviews and documents obtained by USA TODAY show.
The allegations against Air Force Col. Eric Holt, a battlefield physician who was severely wounded in Afghanistan, were dismissed June 15 after an Air Force two-star general determined that evidence military and civilian officials presented was “inconclusive.”
Lawyers for the boys wrote June 14 to Air Force officials that there was “sufficient factual basis to press charges against Holt for abusing the boys, including photographs of their injuries ... and expert testimony supporting the veracity of their allegations.”
The severity of the allegations, including sodomy, black eyes and cuts, captured the attention of members of Congress who called on Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff David Goldfein to direct their most senior prosecutor to review the case.
Air Force officials maintained that they carefully weighed evidence from multiple investigations, including one by Maryland officials, before making their decision.
Holt, 48, who works at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, declined to comment.
“These are very serious allegations, and we took numerous steps to thoroughly investigate and protect the welfare of these children,” Lt. Col. Brus Vidal, an Air Force spokesman, said in a statement. “In this case, the Air Force investigated the allegations, reviewed evidence and assessments from Maryland law enforcement and child service agencies and then determined there was not sufficient evidence to support the allegations.”
For now, the case is closed, but advocates for the boys, including members of Congress, continue to push the Air Force to launch a new investigation.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Massachusetts Democratic Reps. Joe Kennedy III and Niki Tsongas are pushing for a fresh look at the case.
“These are extremely serious allegations, and there is no excuse not to fully investigate what happened,” Gillibrand said in a statement to USA TODAY. “I urge the Air Force to take this case seriously and to protect this family. It is not too late to have people with the proper level of expertise and understanding of complex crimes looking at the facts – as my colleagues and I requested previously.”
Said Kennedy: “Anyone – man, woman, or child – who reports sexual, physical or mental abuse deserves a fair, independent investigation and trial.”
The Air Force special victims counsel assigned to the boys’ mother speculated that her advocacy for them may have colored the judgment of officials reviewing the case.
“She wants her kids to be safe,” Maj. Jophiel Philips said. “That’s what she wants. She loves those kids. In her pursuit of justice for her children, she may rub some people the wrong way, but that’s all she wants, and no one should fault her for that.”