A former commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, will face a court-martial for adultery and fraternization, the base announced nearly one year after his removal from leadership.
Col. Christopher Meeker, the former commander of Wright-Patterson's 88th Air Base Wing, was removed from his role on Dec. 29, 2023. On Wednesday, base officials announced that he faces three violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Meeker was charged Oct. 25 with three violations of the UCMJ, namely "one charge and one specification under Article 90, Willfully Disobeying Superior Commissioned Officer; and one charge and two specifications under Article 134, Extramarital Sexual Conduct and Fraternization," a news release from Air Force Materiel Command said.
Read Next: Commander of Navy Reserve Center in Wyoming Fired over Personal Conduct
"Just as in civilian criminal proceedings, the charges are accusations, and Meeker is presumed innocent until and unless proven otherwise by competent legal authority," the command said in the news release.
Meeker waived his Article 32 hearing, the release said.
Eric Carpenter, a former military lawyer who is now a law professor at Florida International University, told Military.com that it's rare for adultery to be the sole charge for a court-martial.
"Generally, private, consensual affairs are not charged," Carpenter told Military.com. "There needs to be some significant impact on good order and discipline."
Meeker's charges come on the heels of two high-profile court-martial cases of high-level Air Force commanders.
Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, the former commander of the 19th Air Force, faced a court-martial this past summer after being accused of sexual assault and other allegations by a subordinate.
Just before his trial was slated to start, the two-star general pleaded guilty to pursuing an unprofessional relationship with the subordinate and adultery. A panel of eight officers ultimately found Stewart not guilty of sexual assault, but he was found guilty of lesser charges.
The military judge in that case sentenced Stewart to a formal reprimand and restriction to Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, for two months, and he was ordered to forfeit $10,000 worth of pay every month for six months.
Stewart's case was the first time an Air Force general faced a court-martial jury for his alleged crimes.
In 2022, Military.com covered the court-martial of former Maj. Gen. William Cooley, previously the commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory. He was the first Air Force general ever to face a court-martial trial, but his fate was determined by a bench trial not a jury panel.
The judge in that case convicted Cooley of forcibly kissing his sister-in-law. He received a letter of reprimand and was ordered to forfeit $54,550 in pay. He was also later demoted to colonel.
Meeker's case is set to take place at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois on June 9, Air Force Materiel Command said in the news release.
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Commander Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, who fired Meeker from his leadership role, transferred the case from Wright-Patterson in Ohio to Scott Air Force Base "in the interest of justice" because she could "be a material witness in the case," the news release said.
