Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Chicago, Jan 29, (THAINDIAN NEWS) An Ohio-based Air Force official who sent lewd text messages and pictures to few lower-ranking officials, was found guilty of a number of sex-related charges owing to which he was given a prison sentence of 20 months in a hearing that took place on Friday. Apart from the sentence that he would have to serve at a military prison, the top Air Force officials was also given a dishonorable discharge culminating into his demotion to the lowest possible rank following his conduct on the base where he was posted since 2008.

Earlier this week, Chief Master Sgt. William Gurney had pleaded guilty to 13 counts of sexual-misconduct related charges as well as adultery during his posting at the Illinois based Scott Air Force Base. On Thursday, a military jury had found the 27-year-old officer guilty of two counts of misbehaving with two female colleagues by making sexual advances towards them. During the court martial proceedings on Friday, Sgt. William Gurney broke down into tears and said that his misconduct had subjected his family to ridicule while adding that he had also failed the military. At the same time, the veteran Air Force officer also expressed his apology to the female colleagues for mistreating them.

In the hearing that was held on Monday, Sgt. William Gurney described the extra-marital affairs that he had and the exchange of lewd text messages with lower-ranking female officers as getting ‘caught up in a cycle of sin’. The 27-year-old top Air Force official was positioned at Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 2009 where the allegations against his sexual misconduct first came to light.