Sex Assault Charge Dropped in General's Deal

Defense attorneys say an Army general has agreed to a plea deal that includes the dropping of sexual assault charges against him. A news release today from lawyers representing Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair says that he will plead to lesser charges in exchange for having the sexual assault charges dropped along with two others that might have required Sinclair to register as a sex offender. Sinclair will admit guilt in mistreating his lover, an Army captain, and agree that she suffered emotional distress because he didn't end their relationship or divorce his wife, the LA Times reports.

But he won't be charged with threatening to kill her and her parents, forcing her to give him oral sex, and having "open and notorious" sex during their three-year extramarital affair. The news release says the agreement has been approved and signed by a high-ranking general overseeing the case. Defense attorney Richard Scheff says in the news release that Sinclair—who is 51 and married with two children—is admitting to his mistakes and that it's time to put the matter to rest. (Click to see just how prevalent sexual assault charges are in the US military.)