Fort Bragg soldier faces 7-count child sex offense indictment
HARNETT COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A decorated Fort Bragg soldier, who once served in the Army's sexual assault prevention unit, is facing a seven count indictment for child sex offenses.
Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Rausch, 38, made a first court appearance in Harnett County Friday morning. A judge lowered his bond from $200,000 to $5,000 under an agreement he would not make contact with his alleged victims.
Rausch was arrested earlier in the week and indicted on charges, including two counts of indecent liberties with a child, two counts of attempted statutory sex offense, two counts of third degree exploitation of a minor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The alleged offenses occurred as recently as March, but date back to 2012. According to the indictment, the two alleged victims were 13, 15, and 17 years old during the incidents, which were reported this year. The exploitation charges are tied to naked digital images of a 17 year old engaging in sexual acts, which prosecutors said Rausch had in his possession.
Prosecutors would not detail the connection between Rausch and the teenagers, or where exactly the incidents occurred in Harnett County. Rausch is a Fuquay-Varina resident.
The soldier was first arrested and charged in March for taking indecent liberties with a child, but the charges were later dropped. This month's indictment resulted from further investigation, but prosecutors said Friday they could not go into detail about why the first set of charges was dropped.
Rausch, a Special Operations soldier, is an 11B infantryman assigned to Fort Bragg's Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne).
Maj. Melody Faulkenberry, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, said in a statement that Rausch had been reassigned from SHARP earlier this year, and prior to his arrest. SHARP stands for Sexual Harassment/Assault Response Prevention and is a signature program in the military's fight against sex assault. Faulkenberry said the removal was unrelated to this case.
It's unclear whether the Army would try to prosecute Rausch for the same charges he faces in Harnett County, but Faulkenberry said Fort Bragg authorities "are in full cooperation with civilian authorities in this case, and will take appropriate action as the case proceeds."
Rausch is also three-time Purple Heart recipient, who has been open in media about his struggles with PTSD and post-war brain injury.
Rausch survived 2006 and 2007 bombings in Iraq. Prosecutors said it's unlikely these factors would qualify the soldier for Veteran's Treatment Court, a judicial system designed to aide veterans by taking mental health and substance abuse issues into consideration.
Rausch will make his next court appearance in December for a preliminary hearing.
