William H. Steele

Former Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele (born ) is a former U.S. Army Reservist from Prince George, Virginia. He was charged with aiding the enemy and other breaches of military law, mostly in connection with his role as commander of the 451st Military Police Detachment and Camp Cropper, a holding facility for security detainees in Iraq. He was acquitted of aiding the enemy, but sentenced to 2 years confinement on other charges and was dismissed from the military. He was confined at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Steele was only the second officer to be charged with aiding the enemy during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the other being Captain James Yee. William H. Steele was the only field-grade officer to be charged with aiding the enemy during all of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Biography Background Steele is originally from Frostburg, Maryland and a 1973 graduate of Beall High School. He is a former police officer from Anne Arundel County, Maryland and a former Hernando County, Florida sheriff’s deputy. Civilian legal incidents After Steele was charged with aiding the enemy, the press reported on two earlier incidents in which Steele had been involved with the courts. In November 1993, he was charged with felony aggravated child abuse for his verbal and physical abuse of his 11-year-old stepson. From court records, "[The boy] was punched. He was thrown across the room for eating food without asking." Steele was also charged with resisting an officer with violence, another felony. Both charges were dropped when he agreed to give up custody.