A U.S. soldier assigned to the 15th Engineer Battalion in Grafenwoehr has been placed in military custody and may face court-martial in connection with multiple groping incidents reported in recent months along off-base bike paths. (Andrew Cortez/U.S. Army)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — A U.S. soldier could face court-martial in connection with several bike path groping incidents in recent months near a sprawling Army training base in southern Germany.
Pfc. Luis Perez, 22, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to the 15th Engineer Battalion at Grafenwoehr, is accused of wrongdoing in at least three incidents between September and March near Grafenwoehr and Vilseck, said Michelle McCaskill, a spokeswoman for the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
Charges have been preferred against Perez, the military equivalent of a formal indictment, McCaskill said in a statement Tuesday. Following a preliminary hearing, prosecutors will decide whether to refer charges to a general court-martial.
Perez could face five counts of abusive sexual contact, one of indecent exposure, one of aggravated assault (strangulation), four of assault consummated by battery, one of attempted abusive sexual contact, one of obstruction of justice and one of possessing child pornography, McCaskill said.
The four accusers are American and connected to the military community, authorities said. Grafenwoehr is home to the largest Army training area in Europe.
Perez is in the custody of his command at Tower Barracks with restrictions on his movements and contacts, she said.
A native of El Paso, Texas, Perez was arrested on March 19 after a woman reported a sexual assault to police, saying she fought back against her attacker and was struck in the face.
Perez is accused of using a ruse in which he sprayed lotion on women’s backsides before attempting to wipe it away, Oberpfalz police said in a March 24 statement. It is unclear whether the same tactic was used in the March assault. Both the suspect and the accuser were on foot at the time of that attack.
The 35-year-old woman told German authorities she was approached from behind about 5:30 p.m. on March 18 just before the bridge under State Route 2166 between Vilseck and Sorghof.
She fought back after being groped, and was then pulled to the ground by her hair and struck in the face, according to authorities. Her injuries were minor.
Police first became aware of Perez after two reported crimes last year at or near Grafenwoehr, on Sept. 1 and Dec. 4, McCaskill said.
“A similar (modus operandi) from the previous offenses helped link him to this offense,” McCaskill said, adding that the woman in the March incident identified him as her attacker.
Perez was released to his command following a hearing on March 24. Investigators are looking into the possibility that there are other victims.
Stars and Stripes reporter Marcus Kloeckner contributed to this report.
