A military judge ruled “not guilty” in the case of a Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center doctor accused of raping a Temple woman in 2022.
U.S. Army Capt. Arne H. Eliasson II was acquitted of two counts of sexual assault under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice shortly before noon Thursday, bringing a two-year investigation and court case to a close.
Eliasson was initially charged at III Armored Corps in February with two violations of UCMJ Article 120, Sexual Assault, which carries a 30-year prison sentence or expulsion. The court-martial began Wednesday morning and ended Thursday.
The allegations resulted from an alleged incident on July 3, 2022, at the woman’s Temple apartment, during which she said he raped her after she refused to engage in sexual activity.
The Herald does not typically identify complainants in sexual assault cases.
Eliasson and the woman started dating in June of that year after meeting on the dating app Tinder, and they had already been on at least one date on June 28, according to her evidence and text messages retrieved from cellphones. Later that night, the two reunited at a hotel and had sexual relations, during which she said Eliasson first broke a boundary by inserting a finger into her anus.
Over the next few days, they addressed sexual activity boundaries via text messages.
The Army judge advocates prosecuting the case said that the accused “immediately and clearly” expressed her limits and boundaries to Eliasson, indicating that certain activities required prior discussion.
On July 3, the two agreed to go on another date, but the woman texted Eliasson that she didn’t want to do anything sexual. When they arrived in her apartment, she said that he began kissing her and touching her private parts while she told him, “I already told you I’m not doing anything tonight,” before taking off his pants and pushing her head toward his penis.
The woman also indicated that she had complied because she was terrified for her life.
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In addition to the accuser’s testimony, Army prosecutors presented evidence from a Temple nurse who evaluated her two days later and a Temple Police Department officer who investigated the case from a civilian standpoint.
Eliasson’s defense attorney provided a different story, using evidence from text messages and the accuser’s interactions with investigators to undermine her credibility.
Joseph Jordan, co-counsel for the defense, stated that the woman was captivated with his client and that the discussion of boundaries was nothing more than “preferences.” He also claimed that she manufactured the allegation about Eliasson because she was humiliated about her inability to please him sexually.
Jordan stated that the contradictions in evidence and earlier interviews, together with the texts, amounted to “reasonable doubt,” or the high standard for conviction in military courts-martial.
Army Judge Col. Javier Rivera-Rosario deliberated for over two hours before issuing the verdict. Eliasson chose to have the judge rule the matter rather than a panel of officers.