RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — A military judge sentenced a Vilseck-based Air Force staff sergeant to 60 days in jail and a reduction of one pay grade on Thursday after finding the noncommissioned officer guilty of possessing child pornography.
Staff Sgt. Joshua Taylor, 28, was acquitted at a court-martial on Wednesday of charges that he fondled a 10-year-old girl in April.
Air Force Maj. Adam Oler, the military judge, threw out a second count of molesting the girl before closing arguments began, but found Taylor guilty of possessing digital images of minors having sex.
In addition to the jail time, Taylor received a reprimand and forfeiture of $400 per month for three months, Air Force spokeswoman 1st Lt. Erin Dorrance said. Taylor is a joint tactical air controller assigned to Detachment 1, 2nd Air Support Operation Squadron.
An Army computer forensics special agent testified at the court-martial that he found thousands of pornographic images on Taylor’s laptop. The vast majority were images of adults, but investigators said Taylor had downloaded three images of child pornography to a folder on his hard drive.
On Wednesday, Taylor’s defense attorney, Capt. Jason Kellhofer, argued during the trial that the girl who accused the staff sergeant of sexually assaulting her wasn’t credible.
In a twist to the case, the girl’s mother testified on Wednesday against her daughter, stating she had lied to her many times in the past, stolen jewelry from her and couldn’t be trusted.
The girl was supposed to testify as a witness for the prosecution, but did not show up at the trial. Under questioning from the judge, the mother said she did not want her daughter, who is now 11, testifying.
Military prosecutors said the girl told her friends in the neighborhood that Taylor had touched her inappropriately and to keep what she told them a secret. But at least one of the girls told their mother, who went to military police.
Air Force Prosecutor Capt. Paolino Caliendo argued the girl wouldn’t make up the story.
“She even asked the other girls not to say anything,” Caliendo said.
