Virginia drill
sergeant accused of sex crimes

A drill sergeant at Fort Eustis, Va., has been accused of numerous sex crimes, including forcing a male trainee to wear a Superman costume and submit to sex acts, reports Shawn Day of Dailypress.com.

Army staff sergeant Edmundo F. Estrada, 35, of Hampton, Va., is charged with indecent assault, cruelty, and maltreatment of subordinates as well as having an inappropriate relationship with a trainee, said Karla Gonzalez, a spokesperson for Fort Eustis. Estrada was arraigned in January and will face a military court on April 17.

A soldier reported last August that Estrada sexually assaulted him. The soldier had told Estrada that he was suffering from depression, and Estrada suggested "a technique that he had used previously to help soldiers with their self-confidence and alleviate depression," the affidavit states.

Estrada allegedly made the soldier role-play scenes from a pornographic movie that featured a Superman character who was subjected to sexual torture. The affidavit said, "Estrada would verbally describe a sexual act of torture, relating to the pornographic movie, and (the victim) was to respond in a sexual manner by moaning." The soldier said he felt "Estrada would negatively affect his reclassification efforts" if he didn't follow Estrada's sexual requests. The affidavit also said he was also forced to "dress in a 'Superman' or similar outfit during these encounters, while SSG Estrada performed sexual acts on him."

Other soldiers in Estrada's previous unit said Estrada ordered them to dress up and pose in spandex and ordered them not to tell anyone about it.

Estrada remains on active duty, said a Fort Eustis spokesperson, but is not currently acting as a drill sergeant. (The Advocate)