*Updated below with reaction from House Speaker Shap Smith and other legislators.*
Retired Brig. Gen. Jonathan Farnham withdrew from the race to lead the Vermont National Guard Monday afternoon, citing an inability to defend himself against charges leveled at him in an unsigned letter purportedly from a former Guard member.
The letter, which was circulated among top lawmakers last week, includes allegations that Farnham and another senior officer failed to immediately report or take action to address an alleged sexual assault committed by one member of the Guard against another in December 2007.
In a statement to Seven Days, Farnham (pictured) said that while the Guard's privacy rules prevented him from addressing the allegations in any detail, he "simply was not involved in the disposition of the matter."
"While the anonymous allegations are untrue, they have proved a significant distraction to both the legislature and the Guard as they continue their important work on behalf of all Vermonters," Farnham wrote. "I am unwilling to allow that distraction to continue."
Farnham was one of at least three candidates vying to succeed Michael Dubie as the next adjutant general of the 4000-member Vermont National Guard. The Vermont Legislature is scheduled to select the Guard's next leader in a secret ballot scheduled for Feb. 21. Farnham and Air Guard Brig. Gen. Steven Cray, another leading candidate, have been fixtures at the Statehouse in recent weeks as they've lobbied lawmakers for support.
Farnham's candidacy has been on the rocks for at least a week, as legislative leaders have digested the contents of the anonymous two-page letter, which was first sent to the writer's state representative. Both Farnham and the letter-writer met with at least two House members last Wednesday in the Statehouse to discuss the situation, according to several people close to the situation.
Seven Days obtained the letter late last week and spoke with its author, but that person declined to speak on the record. The paper was unable to independently verify the allegations included in it.