Army Command Sgt. Maj. Joshua Prescott of the 1st Battalion, 223d Aviation Regiment gives remarks after formally assuming responsibility at Fort Novosel, Ala., on May 23, 2024. (Kelly Morris/U.S. Army)
An Army battalion command sergeant major at Fort Novosel, Ala., has been arrested by local police on child pornography charges, police and military officials said Tuesday.
Command Sgt. Maj. Joshua Prescott, 41, was charged July 18 in Enterprise, Ala., with possession of child pornography and production of obscene matter depicting persons under 17 years old, Enterprise Police Department officials said in a statement. Prescott was suspended from his position as the senior enlisted leader for Fort Novosel’s 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment the day after his arrest, a spokeswoman for the installation said.
Police said the investigation into Prescott was ongoing, and “additional charges are pending.” They did not specify what other charges Prescott could face. The child pornography possession charge carries a potential 10-year prison sentence in Alabama, and the production charge carries a potential 20-year sentence, according to state law.
Jail records show Prescott was released on bond July 19 from the Coffee County jail.
Prescott became the Fort Novosel 1-233rd Aviation battalion’s top enlisted soldier in May, according to Army documents. The battalion primarily trains pilots to fly the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, according to the service.
The Fort Novosel spokeswoman said service records for Prescott were not immediately available Tuesday. Prescott previously served as an operations sergeant major at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia and had served at Fort Carson, Colo., and Fort Bliss, Texas, according to his biography, which had been removed from the Fort Novosel website by Tuesday.
An Army spokesman said Tuesday that the service had not opened a separate investigation into Prescott, but he did not rule that out. Production of child pornography carries a stiffer penalty under military law — up to 30 years imprisonment.
It was not clear Tuesday when Prescott would face a judge or if he had hired an attorney to represent him in the case.
