The former commander of the 49th Medical Support Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico will face a civilian trial later this month over accusations of possessing virtual child pornography, and will also be court-martialed in August.
Lt. Col. Keith Vollenweider will be tried in a civilian court May 23 and 24 on charges of distributing visual media of sexual exploitation of children, possession of media of sexual exploitation of children, and two counts of tampering with evidence, Rachel Skinner, the district office manager for New Mexico’s 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, said Tuesday.
Vollenweider was also charged in January with violating Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, according to the charge sheet provided by Holloman.
The charge sheet said Vollenweider knowingly possessed “visual depictions, such as drawings, cartoons and virtual images, that depict minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct,” the charge sheet said. The Air Force Judge Advocate General’s website said Vollenweider’s court-martial will begin at Holloman on Aug. 5, and is expected to conclude Aug. 10.
“The military justice system is fair and just,” 2nd Lt. Jasmine Manning, a spokeswoman for the 49th Wing at Holloman, said in an email May 1. “We are concerned about justice, including protecting the rights of the accused. Lt. Col. Vollenweider is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, just as he would be under any American criminal justice system.”
“The military ensures its people are held to high standards and are held accountable for their actions,” Manning continued. “In keeping with good order and discipline, military personnel must exhibit impeccable personal standards and behavior, which is critical to the success of the military.”
Vollenweider’s attorney, Michael Stout, on Wednesday said his client is innocent.
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Holloman in September 2017 announced Vollenweider had been relieved of command pending the outcome of the 12th’s criminal investigation.
In October 2017, the district attorney’s office announced Vollenweider had been indicted. A release at that time said Vollenweider allegedly distributed child pornography over the Internet to members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force of the New Mexico attorney general.
The Alamogordo Police Department also searched his residence and seized multiple electronic devices that allegedly contained the images, the release said.
Officials said Vollenweider allegedly used software to hide his Internet Protocol address and tried to permanently delete files from his computer using specialized software, which resulted in the two evidence tampering charges.
Vollenweider is now serving as a plans and programming officer at the 49th, according to the Air Force Personnel Center. He entered active duty in April 2003.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
