BAGHDAD — U.S. military prosecutors Monday began outlining their case against an Army commander accused of aiding the enemy, suggesting that he let a "high-value" detainee use his cellphone and carried on an inappropriate relationship with the man's daughter.
The line of questioning pursued on the first day of a military hearing appeared to be aimed at showing that Lt. Col. William H. Steele abused his position as commander of the 451st Military Police Detachment at Camp Cropper in Baghdad, and continued such behavior later with the 89th Military Police Brigade.
The Article 32 inquiry, the military equivalent of a preliminary hearing, will determine whether a court-martial is warranted against Steele, 51, a reservist from Virginia who oversaw hundreds of high-value detainees. He would face nine charges, including aiding the enemy, conduct unbecoming an officer, failing to obey an order, possession of pornographic videos and mishandling classified information.
Steele's case marks the first time the U.S. military has weighed charges of aiding the enemy against a service member in Iraq. A conviction at a court-martial could carry a sentence of life imprisonment or death.
One witness testified Monday that he saw Steele copying material from a government computer. Another said Steele gave the detainee's daughter a box containing computer programs and what appeared to be blueprints.
The charge of aiding the enemy stems from allegations that Steele permitted the detainee to make unmonitored calls using Steele's cellphone.
Witnesses said guidelines require that guards initiate calls on behalf of detainees, while interpreters listen to the ensuing conversation.
Virginia, Florida cases
The case does not appear to be the first time Steele has run afoul of law enforcement. Public records indicate that a man with the same name and year of birth was arrested in 2003 in Virginia and in 1993 in Florida.
The Virginia case involved a misdemeanor charge of threatening bodily harm and ended with a guilty verdict, records show. The Florida case involved felony charges of aggravated child abuse and resisting a law enforcement officer that were dismissed, court records say.
Prosecutors alleged that Steele, a former sheriff's deputy in Florida, withheld food from his 11-year-old stepson and struck him for failing to do chores and homework. Charges were dropped in exchange for Steele allowing court protection for the boy.
