SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (AP) — A civilian who held sensitive positions with the U.S. Army in Arizona and Afghanistan led a child sex abuse ring that involved his own adopted son.
David Frodsham served at a U.S. air base in Afghanistan before he was sent home after the military investigated him for multiple complaints of sexual harassment.
When asked for their recommendation about Frodsham, one commanding officer wrote, “I would not recommend placing him back into a position of authority but rather pursuing disciplinary actions at his home station,” according to a U.S. Army investigative file obtained by The Associated Press.
But he did return to his home station in Arizona, and in 2015, he became the director of personnel for the Army's information technology service provider.
In spring 2016, however, Frodsham was arrested in Arizona for leading a child sex abuse ring that included an Army sergeant posting child pornography on the internet, the AP reported.
An Associated Press investigation finds that the U.S. Army and the state of Arizona missed or ignored multiple red flags over more than a decade.
That allowed David Frodsham to allegedly abuse his adopted son and other children for years, all the while putting national security at risk.
Frodsham is serving a 17-year sentence on sex abuse charges.
One of his adopted sons filed a lawsuit Tuesday, joining two other sons who have filed separate lawsuits against the state for licensing foster parents in a home where they say they were physically and sexually abused.