Date Set for Midshipmen's Court Martial in Sexual Assault Case

Two U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen face court martials in early 2014 on charges of sexually assaulting a female midshipman in 2012.

Midshipman Eric Graham, of Eight Mile, AL, is scheduled for his hearing on Jan. 27 and Midshipman Joshua Tate, of Nashville, TN, is scheduled for his hearing on Feb. 10, Naval Academy officials said. Both are former football players on the academy's team.

Graham faces charges of abusive sexual contact, and Tate is charged with aggravated sexual assault. Both are also being charged with making false statements to officials.

A third midshipman, Tra'ves Bush, of Johnston, SC, was initially part of the academy's investigation into the matter, but he was not court martialed. 

The high-profile case stems from an incident in 2012 involving a 20-year-old female midshipman who said she arrived intoxicated at a party off-campus and allegedly had sex with some of the Navy's football players. During testimonies at a military hearing in September, the female said she had no memory of parts of the night.

An Article 32 hearing in the case wrapped in September after which Tate and Graham were ordered for court martial hearings by the academy's superintendent, Vice Admiral Michael Miller.

The incident has drawn national attention during a time when the U.S. military is attempting to clamp down on sexual assaults.

When President Barack Obama visited Annapolis to speak at the academy's 2013 graduation speech, he spent much of his time underscoring the damage such acts have on the military institution at large. Obama charged the graduates to live with integrity and honor, and reiterated how sexual assaults damage an institution’s integrity.

As a preventative measure, starting this fall, Naval Academy midshipmen underwent 30 hours of sexual assault prevention.