Soldier Faces Court-Martial in HIV Case

Fort Bragg, N.C. — A soldier charged with knowingly infecting a 17-year-old boy with HIV will face a court-martial, authorities said Thursday.

Pfc. Johnny Lamar Dalton, 25, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, was arrested last month after a five-month investigation by Fort Bragg military police and the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. He was charged with crimes against nature, assault and assault with a deadly weapon.

A military magistrate on Wednesday reviewed the evidence collected during the investigation and found probable cause that offenses triable by a court-martial had been committed, authorities said.

Dalton was ordered to remain in confinement until he is arraigned.

Last November, Dalton was ordered not to have sex without first telling his wife or other potential partners of his HIV infection, and he signed an order to that effect, authorities said.

The mother of the unidentified boy, who is now 18, said her son first met Dalton in a gay online chatroom and then in person.

Doctors conducting routine blood tests in February found that the teen was HIV-positive.