A senior noncommissioned officer at Fort Novosel, Alabama, was apprehended on Thursday on allegations of producing child pornography, according to local police records.
Instruction Sgt. Maj. Josh Prescott, the senior enlisted member of the 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment, was arrested in Coffee County, Alabama, on two counts: one of possession of child pornography and one of production of media employing a minor in “obscene actions.”
It remains uncertain whether Prescott, 41, has retained an attorney. Prescott was unavailable for comment. It is also uncertain whether the Army will pursue its own charges against him. According to a spokesperson for Fort Novesel, Prescott has not yet been suspended from duty as of Monday afternoon.
Prescott is subject to imprisonment for a period of one to ten years for possession of child pornography and two to twenty years for production of child pornography if convicted in a civilian court.
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In May, Prescott acquired the position of command sergeant major of the 1-223rd Aviation Regiment, following a year of service as an operations sergeant major at Fort Eustis, Virginia. According to his LinkedIn profile, he had previously held prominent positions at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Carson, Colorado.
According to a spokesperson for the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, a new group of special prosecutors who handle the service’s most severe cases, the office has not yet determined whether it will participate in Prescott’s case. Civilian authorities are currently responsible for the case.
Prescott would be sentenced to 30 years in prison for the production of child pornography and an additional 10 years for the possession of child pornography if convicted under military law as reported by a local news outlet.