Army Maj. Gen. Gary Patton, the head of the Defense Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, will step down in January, according to the Hill.
Defense Secretary chuck Hagel praised Patton’s work to curb sexual assaults in the military.
“He has a history of tackling tough assignments and I want to thank him for the transparency, energy, persistence and strong leadership he has brought to the department’s sexual assault prevention and response program over these past 18 months,” Hagel said in a statement.
Patton was under fire in November when he was accused of interfering with an Inspector General investigation.
The Defense Department IG found that Patton and another colleague tried to keep soldiers from cooperating with an investigation about mistreatment and corruption at a military hospital in Afghanistan.
