Fairchild Officer Faces Rape, Assault Charges Three Women Make Allegations During Five-Month Air Force Investigation

A Fairchild Air Force Base security police officer has been charged with rape, forcible sodomy and assault.

Master Sgt. Napoleon Bailey, 39, is also charged with making threats, obstructing justice, unlawful entry and disorderly conduct, said Capt. Mark Brown, Fairchild’s chief of public affairs.

Bailey denies all the charges.

If convicted, he could face life in prison, even death. Rape cases can be tried as capital offenses in the military, Brown said.

Bailey was assigned to Fairchild’s 92nd Security Police Squadron. So far, three women have come forward, alleging Bailey raped them, beat them, or both. He was charged Friday after five months of investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

The first woman came forward in September, reporting Bailey to Spokane police, which then turned the case over to the Air Force, Brown said.

“The OSI discovered and interviewed additional people and is concluding a thorough inquiry,” said Brown, who does not know the details of the specific charges.

Bailey will face the military equivalent of a grand jury later this month.

As soon as the Air Force found out about the accusations, it stripped Bailey of his weapon, security clearance and sent him to a desk job. He was jailed Jan. 31 after OSI agents interviewed Bailey and searched his home, storage space and automobile, Brown said.

He remained in jail until formally charged because agents feared he would flee, “tamper” with witnesses or commit other crimes, Brown said.

Fairchild officials have not said if Bailey lived on base, or whether the alleged victims were civilians or members of the Air Force. Officials also haven’t said if the alleged crimes occurred on base.

The commander of the 15th Air Force at California’s Travis Air Force Base will decide whether or not Bailey will be tried as a capital offender, Brown said.

Bailey’s attorneys are Capt. Bradley Holmgren and Capt. Beth Townsend from Travis.

Brown said he doesn’t know if Bailey has been charged before for other crimes, or how he was regarded by fellow officers.

Bailey has been stationed at Fairchild for 12 years, Brown said.

The allegations come at a time when the military is facing scrutiny for numerous allegations of sexual misconduct on bases. An Army hotline set up in late 1996 received nearly 6,000 calls from women claiming to have been victims of rape or other sexual misconduct.

, DataTimes