SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A New Hampshire National Guard officer who led a battalion on the southern U.S. border has pleaded guilty to assault and several other crimes and been sentenced to a reprimand, the U.S. Army said Thursday.
A military judge in Texas on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Lt. Col. Mark Patterson as part of a deal in which he pleaded guilty to assault consummated by a battery, sexual harassment, conduct unbecoming an officer, violation of a general order and other charges, said Army spokesperson Leah Garton. She said that the sentence was “consistent with the terms of a plea agreement.”
Defense attorney Joseph Jordan said his client owned up to his errors. He said the judge also took into consideration that Patterson had a brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“He took responsibility for exactly what he did wrong, and that is why his sentence was only a reprimand. It is important to remember that this is a decorated combat veteran who suffers greatly from documented PTSD and TBI,” Jordan said. “All of that was taken into account, yesterday.”