Here We Go Again

[Content Note: Domestic violence; rape culture.]

So far this month: An Air Force sexual assault prevention chief was charged with a sexual assault; an Air Force brochure on sexual assault was found to engage in victim-blaming and advise potential victims to submit to attackers; the Air Force's top commander blamed "the hookup mentality" for the US military's pervasive rape problem; and Fort Hood's sexual assault prevention chief was relieved of his duties pending an investigation for "abusive sexual contact, pandering, assault and maltreatment of subordinates."

And now it's happened again: The head of Fort Campbell's sexual assault response program has been arrested in a "domestic dispute" and relieved of his post.

Lt. Col. Darin Haas turned himself in to police in Clarksville, Tenn., late Wednesday on charges of violating an order of protection, and stalking. Master Sgt. Pete Mayes, a spokesman for the Army post on the Tennessee-Kentucky line, said Haas was immediately removed as manager of a program meant to prevent sexual harassment and assault and encourage equal opportunity.

Haas and his ex-wife have orders of protection against each other, Mayes said. The two are involved in a child custody fight, Clarksville Police Sgt. Chuck Gill said.

Haas was held for a required 12 hours and released.

His ex-wife told police he repeatedly contacted her Wednesday night despite the protective order, Gill said.

No one with an order of protection against him should ever have been allowed to hold that post in the first place. Not everyone who has an order of protection taken out by an ex-partner is dangerous, but orders of protection are not handed out as a matter of course. The Army's failure to regard an order of protection as a red flag, as a disqualifying event for a chief of sexual assault response, is a perfect indication of how (un)seriously they're taking the US military's sexual assault crisis.

[H/T to Cat Neshine.]