A U.S. Army dentist accused of sexual harassment, including reportedly referring to a woman as "Master Sgt. Barbie" and making comments about her appearance, has pleaded guilty, according to a story published on October 18 in the Killeen Daily Herald.
Lt. Col. Keith Wilson, a dental officer who was charged in military court with disobeying an order and conduct unbecoming of an officer, admitted that he was guilty of the inappropriate comments he made to subordinate officers while assigned to 1st Medical Brigade at Fort Cavazos, TX. Also, Wilson said he was in therapy and learning to control his impulses to make comments about others, according to the story.
In exchange for his guilty plea, Wilson was given a written reprimand and ordered to forfeit $300 of his pay -- $100 per month for three months. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Wilson could have been given a maximum punishment of a reprimand and forfeiture of up to $15,000 per month over three months if he met the conditions, which included a promise to request an immediate retirement within two duty days.
The sexual harassment claims against Wilson stem from several incidents in 2020. In one instance, Wilson reportedly repeatedly called a female officer "Master Sgt. Barbie," as well as talked about her appearance in front of subordinates, and made comments to others about her hair and painted toenails at a unit family bowling event.
Another time, Wilson allegedly called out to a specialist for the type of shorts she was wearing on a military march. At his trial, Wilson admitted that he joined others in commenting on what the specialist was wearing. He admitted that as a senior officer, he should have refrained from saying anything, according to the story.
