A 1st Armored Division soldier faces nine years in prison following his conviction last week on three sexual-related charges involving a young boy, Army officials said Tuesday.
The court-martial of Pfc. Nicholas Noel, a member of the 141st Signal Battalion in Wiesbaden, Germany, ended Friday after a week of testimony from kids, cops and psychologists, according to court participants.
“He pled not guilty and has never admitted guilt,” Noel’s civilian defense attorney, David Court, said Tuesday.
A panel of officers and enlisted personnel found Noel not guilty on seven of the 10 charges brought against him, a 1st Armored Division news release stated. Six of those charges were inappropriate sexual behavior with three boys and a seventh charge of possession of child pornography, according to the release.
Some of the allegations brought against Noel dated back to his time as a civilian living in Kansas. He joined the Army just a little more than two years ago. The charges that pertained to his time in uniform allegedly occurred between January and August 2005, when he was a member of the battalion’s headquarters company.
At the trial, three boys under the age of 10, who are roughly the same age, were called to testify, Court said. A fourth boy was excused from taking the stand because of his age.
In addition to his prison sentence, the 25-year-old soldier was demoted to private, stripped off his pay and allowances, and given a dishonorable discharge.
