"Col. West said he informed his superior of his actions. The incident lay dormant until the Army conducted an overall command-climate investigation of the brigade. The investigation turned up the interrogation technique, and Col. West was charged with one count of aggravated assault."
I'd be willing to bet that someone on that "command-climate investigation" team has some kind of grudge. The article doesnt say how long it was between the time he reported the incident to his superior and the time the investigation took place...couldve been weeks....