A former special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations who was recently serving as an Army National Guard recruiter has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of child sex abuse while he was at Joint Base Lewis-McChord from 2017 to 2018.
Joshua Carl Harrod, 42, of Spanaway, Washington, had his initial court appearance in Tacoma on Thursday, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office statement.
Harrod pleaded not guilty in the arraignment hearing. He remains in custody as of that hearing as both sides argue whether he should be released pending trial, according to court documents.
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The indictment charges Harrod with engaging in or attempting to engage in sexual acts with a female minor victim under the age of 12 at various instances between Oct. 1, 2017 and April 20, 2018.
“Sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 is punishable by a mandatory minimum 30 years in prison and up to life in prison,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement reads.
The documents note that the child was in Harrod’s care at the time of the alleged abuse.
He faces five counts of aggravated sexual battery in federal court for the alleged acts, according to the indictment.
His next detention hearing is scheduled for July 27.
The trial date has been set for August 24 and is expected to be a three-day trial, according to court documents.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
