JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – A senior non-commissioned officer pleaded guilty to assault, sexual harassment and fraternization during his trial May 9 at the Cascade Court Complex, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Master Sgt. Christopher L. Dehn, 38, a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear specialist with the 110th Chemical Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, was sentenced by the military judge to a reduction in rank from E-8 to E-6 for his crimes.
There were two victims in this case who were both junior enlisted soldiers in his unit.
On June 16, 2023, one of the victims hosted a going away party at her house off-post for her small chemical response team as she was preparing to transfer to another unit. Her sergeants, the warrant officer and officer in charge came to the house for her farewell. Also in attendance that evening was Dehn who was her first sergeant.
Dehn arrived at the party drunk and continued to drink throughout the evening. Once most people departed the event around 10 p.m., the only people left were the junior enlisted soldiers and Dehn.
While there, he touched the two victims against their will multiple times on their hands and back, and on the thigh of one of the victims.
He made flirtatious comments to the victims and kissed the back of one of the victim’s hands while biting her finger in a suggestive manner in the living room.
Two NCOs saw Dehn’s inappropriate behavior and took him outside, telling him to leave. He refused and used his rank and position in the organization to disregard their request, claiming that the victims wanted him to stay.
Dehn ended up falling asleep on the couch, so the NCOs stayed overnight in order to keep an eye on him. The next morning Dehn said to one of the sergeants, “I remember everything from last night, do you hate me?”
“The greatest privilege a leader has is leading soldiers, and in this case, a first sergeant assaulted and sexually harassed two of his own soldiers,” said Maj. Ryan Keeter, prosecutor, Sixth Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. “In doing so he abused his position of special trust and authority, failed his unit, the Army, and failed these two junior enlisted soldiers.”
“Sexually harassing and intimidating soldiers entrusted to your care is a violation of the Army’s core values,” said Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Western Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Michele Starostka. “Dehn failed to meet the standard of trust expected of a senior noncommissioned officer.”
This case was investigated by the Army CID’s Western Field Office and prosecuted by Keeter, Capt. Matthew Whear and Capt. Darren Singh, both with the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, I Corps.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit https://www.army.mil/ostc.
If you would like to report a crime, have information about a crime, or have been the subject or survivor of a crime, you can submit anonymous tips to Army CID at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=325.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2025 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 498377 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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