AUSTIN, Texas — A former Fort Cavazos brigade commander will no longer face a sexual misconduct charge in a court-martial for allegations that he groped and kissed the wife of another officer, base officials said.

Col. Jon Meredith still faces two counts of conduct unbecoming of an officer and has a court-martial scheduled for Sept. 25 at Fort Cavazos, said Lt. Col. Tania Donovan, spokeswoman for III Corps, which is based at the Texas installation.

Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, commander of III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos, made the decision Monday to withdraw two counts of the charge abusive sexual contact, which was filed against Meredith earlier this year, Donovan said.

“The decision was based on an assessment of multiple factors including a careful consideration of the current evidence, the interests of justice, input from the alleged victim, and preservation of good order and discipline,” she said.

Sherry Bunn, Meredith’s defense attorney, said she was surprised by Bernabe’s decision because she had participated in a hearing last week for the charges against Meredith.

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