Portsmouth, Va. – A Coast Guard Petty Officer charged with aggravated sexual assault, cruelty and maltreatment, and making a false official statement will face a court-martial in Norfolk. The trial is expected to begin on January 14th.
28-year-old Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Crum faces charges of Cruelty and Maltreatment, Sexual Assault and False Official Statements.
Vice Adm. Parker, Atlantic Area Commander, decided to send Crum to court martial based on the recommendation of an Article 32 hearing that was completed on Aug. 9th.
The Article 32 Hearing is similar to a grand jury hearing in the civilian court system.
The charges follow a four-month-long Coast Guard investigation, which revealed that Crum, engaged in a broad spectrum of sexually related misconduct, involving one junior Coast Guard woman.
The investigation began immediately after the victim made her command aware of the allegations of misconduct in November 2012. The crimes allegedly occurred between January 2011 and April 2012 while both members were assigned to a shore-based Coast Guard unit in Minnesota.
The Coast Guard is not releasing the name of the unit to protect the privacy of the victim. The false official statement charges stem from statements allegedly made by Crum to investigators in January 2013.
Crum has been administratively assigned to another Coast Guard unit while he awaits court martial.
