Head of Fort Campbell harassment program arrested

Friday, May 17, 2013

photo This undated photo provided by the Montgomery County Sheriff Office via The Leaf-Chronicle shows Lt. Col. Darin Haas. Haas, the manager of the sexual harassment and assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., was arrested in a domestic dispute and relieved of his post, authorities said Thursday.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - The manager of the sexual harassment and assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., was arrested in a domestic dispute and relieved of his post, authorities said Thursday.

Lt. Col. Darin Haas turned himself in to police in Clarksville, Tenn., late Wednesday on charges of violating an order of protection, and stalking, authorities said Thursday.

Master Sgt. Pete Mayes, a spokesman for the massive Army post on the Tennessee-Kentucky line, said Haas was immediately removed as manager of a program meant to prevent sexual harassment and assault and encourage equal opportunity.

Haas, 42, and his ex-wife have orders of protection against each other, Mayes said. The two are involved in a child custody fight, Clarksville Police Sgt. Chuck Gill said.

His ex-wife told police he repeatedly contacted her Wednesday night despite the protective order, Gill said.

Haas was held for a required 12 hours and released.

"The ongoing investigation is to determine whether or not he violated the actual provisions of the Order of Protection that applies to him," Mayes said in a news release. But based on the allegations, the release continued, Haas was removed from his post as program manager.

Haas is due to retire from the Army soon and his replacement will assume duties right away, Mayes said. Because the investigation is being handled by civilian law enforcement, Fort Campbell will await the results before taking any further action, Mayes said.

A working phone number for Haas could not immediately be found Thursday evening, and he did not immediately respond to a message sent through his Facebook page.

Allegations of sexual assault in the military have triggered outrage from local commanders to Capitol Hill and the Oval Office. Last week, an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office was himself arrested on charges of groping a woman in a Northern Virginia parking lot.

There is no indication from police or the military that Haas' arrest involved allegations of sexual impropriety.

President Barack Obama pledged Thursday to "leave no stone unturned" in the effort to halt sexual abuse, which he said undermines the trust the military needs to be effective.