4 Navy sailors accused of group sex with underage girl

Four U.S. Navy sailors have been accused of allegedly engaging in group sex with an underage girl on a naval base in Washington state and recording and photographing the incident, according to Navy charge sheets. The sailors will face a preliminary court hearing in two weeks that will determine whether they should face a court-martial.

The four sailors alleged to be involved, who weren't identified, are all submariners attached to the U.S. Navy's submarine fleet based at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington.

Two sailors are attached to the USS Nebraska, a third sailor is attached to the USS Henry M. Jackson and the fourth sailor, who previously served on the same submarine, has been transferred to Naval Submarine Support Center (NSSC), Bangor. The four sailors, all of whom are Petty Officers Third Class, are currently at Bangor awaiting the start of the court hearing known as an Article 32.

According to the charge sheets, they are accused of allegedly "engaging in group sex with an underage female," whom they did not know, in a barracks on the base on September 19, 2017. They are alleged to have recorded the encounter using "photography and video equipment".

Because the videos and stills recorded a sexual act with a minor, two of the sailors face charges for production of child pornography.

"There is no allegation of rape or the use of force in the incident," said Cmdr. Corey Baker, a spokesman for Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service(NCIS) began investigating the allegations after an anonymous tip to base authorities on September 26, 2017, said Barker.

"The Navy takes allegations of misconduct seriously and, upon learning of this, immediately initiated a criminal investigation into the matter," he added.

The Navy charge sheets describe the girl as "a child who had attained the age of 12 years, but had not attained the age of 16 years."

The exact details of how the underage girl got onto the base are still being investigated.

Article 32 hearings are preliminary court hearings where prosecutors present evidence to a presiding officer to determine if there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to a court-martial.