Recruiter Faces Sexual Conduct Charges

A Navy recruiter is in jail in Madera, Calif., after being arrested Nov. 12 on charges that allege he showed sexual photos of himself to young females he was attempting to recruit.

Jonathon (cq) Joshua Taylor, 28, pleaded not guilty to during a Nov. 14 arraignment and is awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 1, according to the investigating officer, Detective Kristine Sauceda. She said seven young girls are currently identified as victims in the case, but she is still contacting others who Taylor attempted to recruit.

"I have another 25 to 30 to contact," Sauceda told Military.com. She said it is now "undetermined if any were recruited" into the Navy by Taylor.

Taylor was assigned to Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., and worked as a recruiter at the Navy recruiting office in Madera.

Sauceda said Madera police began investigating Taylor on Nov. 12 after a young woman told her story to Child Protective Services. That agency simultaneously reported the allegations to police and Navy officials, who immediately pulled Taylor off recruiting duty and kept him on the base.

Sauceda said they arrested him two days later.

According to police, Taylor showed photos of his genitalia to a number of young women who he contacted or who had contacted him about joining the Navy.

Taylor's arrest marks the second time in three months that a recruiter's alleged sexual behavior has led to criminal charges. But the case against 31-year-old Douglas N. Bowie does not appear to involve potential recruits.

Police arrested Bowie at his recruiting office in the Mall of the Mainland in Texas City on Sept. 3, and a grand jury passed down indictments against him on Oct. 29. The indictments include two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact and one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to The Daily News of Galveston.

Bowie's rank was not given, and the paper reported that a Navy spokeswoman said Bowie was no longer in the Navy.

Two years ago an investigation by The Associated Press found more than 80 military recruiters -- from all branches -- had been disciplined in 2005 for sexual misconduct, including rape, with potential recruits.

In all, it reported then, more than 100 young women had been preyed on by the men whose job was to recruit them for military service. Some were raped in recruiting offices, the wire service reported.

The disciplined recruiters included 35 from the Army, 18 from the Marine Corps, 18 from the Navy and 12 from the Air Force.