PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Coast Guard Atlantic Area has scheduled a general court-martial at the Coast Guard Legal Service Command Norfolk Dec. 14, 2015 for a Coast Guard member accused of sexual assault and assault.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric D. Pruett, 29, is accused of the following violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice:
- Article 120 – two specifications sexual assault
- Article 128 – assault
Vice Adm. William Lee, commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, referred Pruett’s case to general court-martial on June 24, 2015, following an Article 32 hearing completed on May 14, 2015, which determined there was sufficient evidence to continue to courts-martial.
The charges follow a seven-month investigation by the Coast Guard Investigative Service revealing that Petty Officer Pruett allegedly committed a sexual act upon the reporting victim without consent while at Pruett’s parents’ home in Boise, Idaho during September 2014, and allegedly assaulted the reporting victim in Slidell, La., October 2012. The reporting victim reported the incidents to Pruett’s command on Oct. 3, 2014.
Pruett was assigned to the Communication Station Boston when the alleged misconduct occurred and is currently assigned there.
Charges are accusations against the individual and the accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty by the military justice system. It is Coast Guard policy to withhold the identity of reporting victims.
For media inquiries, contact Lt. Scott McBride at scott.a.mcbride@uscg.mil or Senior Chief Petty Officer Sarah B. Foster at sarah.foster@uscg.mil.