Jeffrey krusinski verdict search

 A jury has acquitted an Air Force officer who once led the branch's sexual assault response team on charges that he groped a woman outside a Virginia bar.

The seven-member jury deliberated about an hour after hearing closing arguments Wednesday in the misdemeanor assault case against 42-year-old Lt.

Col. Jeffrey Krusinski. His arrest fueled a national furor over sexual abuse in the military and whether top brass take the issue seriously.

A 23-year-old woman testified that Krusinski grabbed her backside on May 5 outside the Crystal City bar.

A bar employee testified that she also saw the grope, though she described it differently than the alleged victim.

The employee said Krusinski had also groped her and another employee.

Defense lawyers argued there were inconsistencies in the alleged victim's story, particularly in how she described the aftermath of the attack. She admitted punching Krusinski a few times in retaliation, but other witnesses described seeing her hit him co