FORT RUCKER, Ala. – An Army sergeant major who pleaded guilty to secretly recording family and guests in his home was sentenced by a military judge to four and a half years in prison at the conclusion of his court-marital at the Fort Rucker courtroom Feb. 9.
Sgt. Maj. Joshua Prescott, 42, an unmanned aircraft systems repairer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment, was also sentenced to a reduction in rank to E-1.
In July 2024, the Enterprise Police Department received credible information that Prescott had secretly recorded a nude underage female when she visited his home in Enterprise, Ala.
The Enterprise Police Department, in partnership with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, conducted a joint investigation and discovered that Prescott affixed a hidden camera in the guest bathroom of his Alabama residence which secretly recorded and saved videos of female house guests in various stages of undress, to include completely naked while conducting bathroom activities. Investigators also found that Prescott used his cellphone to secretly record a female house guest as she showered at his residence when he was stationed in Colorado.
In total, investigators discovered that Prescott had accumulated hundreds of videos over a 14-year period. Because of the statute of limitations, prosecutors were limited in their charging ability but ultimately charged him with one specification of production of child pornography, one specification of attempted production of child pornography, three specifications of indecent recordings and one specification of attempted indecent recording.
Prescott pleaded guilty to two specifications of indecent recordings, and per the terms of the plea agreement the government dismissed the other charges.
“It is unfortunate that the victims had some of their most private moments video recorded without their consent, one of the victims was of the most vulnerable in our community, an underage female. It was an egregious violation of trust and privacy, but today’s outcome demonstrates that the military judicial system will penetrate the rank of the offender to seek justice,” said Maj. Morghan Beaudoin, prosecutor, Third Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. “Hopefully today’s outcome will also allow the victims to gather some level of closure for their traumatic experiences.”
“The quick response and thorough investigation from Fort Rucker Army CID and Enterprise Police Department, as well as the diligent efforts of my co-counsel, Capt. Beckwith and Capt. Bloodsaw, ensured that the accused would be held accountable for his unlawful actions,” Beaudoin continued.
“The thorough investigative work by our Special Agents was instrumental in achieving this conviction, and while the pain inflicted on the victims can never be erased, this sentencing delivers a measure of justice and holds Prescott accountable for his actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor, Army CID Southeast Field Office.
Prescott will service his confinement at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Upon release from prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
This case was investigated by Army CID’s Fort Rucker Resident Unit with the assistance of the Enterprise Police Department. It was prosecuted by Beaudoin, Capt. Gabrielle Bloodsaw, Third Circuit, Army OSTC, and Capt. Samuel Beckwith, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, Fort Rucker.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit https://www.army.mil/ostc.
If you would like to report a crime, have information about a crime, or have been the subject or survivor of a crime, you can submit anonymous tips to Army CID at http://www.p3tips.com/armycid.