FORT RUCKER, Ala. (WDNews) — An Army sergeant major has been sentenced to four and a half years behind bars after admitting in a military court that he secretly recorded women and a minor inside his home.
Sgt. Maj. Joshua Prescott, 42, who served as an unmanned aircraft systems repairer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment, was sentenced Monday during a court-martial at Fort Rucker. In addition to prison time, a military judge reduced him to the lowest enlisted rank, E-1.
According to authorities, the investigation began in July 2024 when the Enterprise Police Department received information alleging Prescott had secretly recorded an underage girl while she was visiting his home in Enterprise.
A joint investigation involving local police and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division revealed that Prescott had concealed a camera in a guest bathroom at his Alabama residence. Officials said the device captured videos of female guests while they were undressing or using the bathroom, including instances when they were fully nude.
Investigators also determined Prescott used his cellphone during a previous assignment in Colorado to secretly film a woman while she was showering at his residence. Authorities said he collected hundreds of recordings over a span of 14 years. Due to legal time limits on some offenses, prosecutors were unable to pursue every potential charge.
Initially, Prescott faced charges that included production and attempted production of child pornography, along with multiple counts of indecent recording and attempted indecent recording. Under a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent recording. The remaining charges were dismissed as part of that agreement.
Maj. Morghan Beaudoin, a prosecutor with the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel’s Third Circuit, called the case a profound violation of trust.
“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,” Beaudoin said. “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.”
She said she hopes the sentence offers victims some sense of closure after what they endured.
Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor of the Army CID Southeast Field Office also addressed the outcome, saying the work of investigators was critical to securing the conviction. “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,” O’Connor said.
Prescott will serve his sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks. After completing his prison term, he will be required to register as a sex offender and follow both federal and state reporting requirements.
The case was handled by Army CID’s Fort Rucker Resident Unit with assistance from the Enterprise Police Department. Prosecutors from the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel and the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence led the court-martial proceedings.
Officials noted that the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel independently prosecutes serious crimes within the military, including sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence and other major offenses.
