A former commander of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has pleaded guilty to disobeying a superior officer and fraternization. Prosecutors dropped a charge of extramarital sexual conduct against Col. Christopher Meeker as part of a plea agreement.
Meeker was accused of having a relationship with a staff sergeant, and disobeying orders to end the relationship. Col. Matthew Stoffel sentenced Meeker to 21 days confinement, a reprimand, and forfeiture of $7,000 pay per month for two months.
Meeker assumed command of the 88th Air Base Wing in July 2022 and was removed from command Dec. 29, 2023. He was charged on Oct. 25, 2024.
The military noted at trial that while Meeker was removed from command for "loss of confidence," the charges he faced at court-martial were for actions he took after he was relieved. According to a release, "Air Force prosecutors said Meeker fraternized by engaging in a personal and sexual relationship with a staff sergeant. He also disobeyed [Lt. Gen. Donna] Shipton’s direct order to discontinue all electronic and personal contact with the enlisted Airman by continuing the relationship."
Meeker's trial lasted one day. He elected for his case to be heard by a military judge rather than a panel of court members, similar to a civilian court jury.
Two months prior to Meeker assuming his command in 2022, a now-retired former major general at the base near Dayton was convicted during a general court-martial for abusive sexual contact. William T. Cooley, then a two-star general, was the head of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson at the time of the court-martial in April 2022. He was removed from command Jan. 15, 2020, following allegations of sexual assault. He is the first Air Force general to have his case adjudicated by a court-martial. He lost both stars and retired as a colonel.
More recently, on Jan. 28, 2025, Brig. Gen. Erik Quigley was fired from his position as program executive officer of bombers and director of the Bombers Directorate. It's part of Air Force Material Command, housed at Wright-Patt. The Air Force said an investigation revealed the one-star general had inappropriate personal relationships. A base official confirms no charges have been filed at this time. Quigley is currently serving as special assistant to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center commander (Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton), performing duties as assigned.
At more than 30,000 employees, Wright-Patt is the largest single-site employer in Ohio. The 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patt is one of the Air Force's largest air base wings with more than 5,000 officers and enlisted Airmen, Air Force civilians and contractor employees.
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