Crime & Safety
National Guardsman From Barnstable Fondled Soldier: Police
Vermont State Police said Jon Downing, an Army National Guard sergeant from Hyannis, "inappropriately touched" a female soldier.
JERICHO, VT — A Vermont National Guard sergeant from Barnstable, Massachusetts, was arrested on charges he "inappropriately touched" a female soldier he was supervising, police announced Tuesday. Jon Downing, 33, of Hyannis, was charged with lewd and lascivious conduct.
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Vermont State Police said on Friday, Army National Guard officials contacted them about "an incident of lewd conduct" during training at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho on June 22. Police said an investigation revealed Downing fondled the 25-year-old soldier while they were standing in formation at the facility. Both soldiers are in the same unit, police said.
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Downing was arraigned in Chittenden Superior Court in Burlington. The Army National Guard will be conducting a separate investigation, police said.
Photo: Jon Downing. (Credit: Vermont State Police)
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