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Court Martial Begins In First Case Involving Physical Assault Charges

U.S. Air Force

Another court-martial began Friday of a former Air Force boot camp instructor accused of dereliction of duty, assaulting male trainees, and trying to develop unprofessional sexual relationships with female trainees.

In the Article 32 evidentiary hearing late last year, four female airmen testified that Staff Sgt. Ryan Deraas found them on Facebook and began sexting them and sending them photos.

Deraas is also is accused of forcing male trainees to fill their canteens with toilet water. Trainees testified in the hearing that Deraas refused to allow them latrine breaks, and that he assaulted two of the trainees when he found them going to the bathroom without permission.

Deraas is the first training instructor to be charged with physical assault. The Air Force is investigating 32 training instructors in the ongoing investigation of violations with trainees at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

Eileen Pace is a veteran radio and print journalist with a long history of investigative and feature reporting in San Antonio and Houston, earning more than 50 awards for investigative reporting, documentaries, long-form series, features, sports stories, outstanding anchoring and best use of sound.