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Not Guilty Verdict in Naval Academy Sexual Assault Case (Update)

U.S. Naval Academy
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U.S. Naval Academy

WASHINGTON (AP) - A military judge has found a former U.S. Naval Academy football player not guilty of a sexual assault charge.

The judge on Friday acquitted Joshua Tate of Nashville, Tenn., of one count of aggravated sexual assault.

Tate chose to be tried by a judge rather than a military jury.

Prosecutors initially accused Tate and two other students of sexually assaulting a female student during a 2012 party at an off-campus house in Annapolis, Md., where the school is located.

The woman said she didn't remember being sexually assaulted after a night of heavy drinking but heard from others she had had sex with multiple partners at the party. Tate was the only one brought to court-martial, the military's equivalent of a trial.

The other students no longer face charges.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.