Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Texas

US National Guard officer pleads guilty to assault, sexual harassment

A Texas military judge convicted and sentenced Lt. Col. Mark Patterson to a reprimand

Associated Press
Published
close
Texas National Guard seizes control of public park along border Video

Texas National Guard seizes control of public park along border

Fox News' Matt Finn reports the latest from Eagle Pass, Texas. 

  • Lt. Col. Mark Patterson, a New Hampshire National Guard officer, who led a battalion on the southern U.S. border, pleaded guilty to assault and several other charges.
  • A military judge in Texas convicted and sentenced Patterson to a reprimand as part of a plea agreement.
  • The charges included assault consummated by a battery, sexual harassment, conduct unbecoming an officer, violation of a general order and others.

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.

NEW HAMPSHIRE NATIONAL GUARD OFFICER EXPECTED TO BE CHARGED WITH ASSAULT, SEXUAL HARASSMENT

"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."

Fort Sam Houston

A guard stands at a gate to Fort Sam Houston, on June 10, 2013, in San Antonio. Lt. Col. Mark Patterson, a New Hampshire National Guard officer, pleaded guilty to assault and several other crimes and was sentenced to a reprimand. The investigation concluded in May and led to a court-martial at Fort Sam Houston in which Patterson pleaded guilty. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Patterson, of Weare, New Hampshire, was deployed with his unit to the southern border in October 2022 and assigned to support U.S. Border Patrol. In January 2023, the Army opened an investigation and Patterson, then commander, was reassigned, an Army spokesperson said previously. The investigation concluded in May and led to the court-martial at Joint Base San Antonio–Fort Sam Houston in which Patterson pleaded guilty.

TRUMP URGES STATES TO SURGE NATIONAL GUARD TO TEXAS AS ABBOTT STANDOFF WITH BIDEN ACCELERATES

The Army has not released details on the actions that led to Patterson being charged and did not immediately provide additional information Thursday.

Jordan described the circumstances as a "four-month situation" and said "there are absolutely no clean hands by any party to this case, including the alleged victims.