[Editor’s note: Lt. Col. Stephen Chipman was acquitted of all charges when his court-martial concluded Nov. 14.]
A flight surgeon with the 334th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina is scheduled to face a court-martial later this year on charges of sexual assault and abusive sexual contact.
Lt. Col. Stephen Chipman is facing one specification of a violation of Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for alleged sexual assault, and three specifications of violating Article 120 for alleged abusive sexual contact, according to the docket on the website of the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Chipman’s trial is scheduled to begin at Seymour Johnson on Nov. 12.
According to the charge sheet, provided by the 4th Fighter Wing public affairs office at Seymour Johnson, Chipman is accused of raping an unidentified woman at or near the base sometime between July and December 2017. Chipman is also accused of touching an unidentified woman without her consent, and causing her to touch herself without her consent, at or near the base between December 2017 and January 2018. It was not immediately clear whether it was the same victim in all specifications.
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“The charge and specifications are merely accusations and the accused is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty,” the 4th said in an email.
The 4th said Chipman is not in a leadership position, and that he declined to comment.
The Air Force Personnel Center said that Chipman is a residency-trained flight surgeon. He entered active duty in September 2016 under a direct appointment, which is common in the medical field.
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.
