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Phone Recording May Be Key in Naval Academy Sexual Assault Case

U.S. Naval Academy
U.S. Naval Academy Website
U.S. Naval Academy

WASHINGTON (AP) - A recorded telephone call shows that a female Naval Academy student told one of the midshipmen accused of sexually assaulting her not to talk to investigators.

A defense attorney for one of the three midshipmen accused in the assault played a recording of the telephone call Thursday while cross-examining the woman.

In the recording, the woman asked Midshipman Josh Tate not to tell Navy investigators about what happened at an off-campus party in April 2012. She said she didn't want the investigation to go anywhere. Tate can be heard responding that her request "ain't cool."

The woman said in court that it was wrong to obstruct the investigation.

The woman, now a 21-year-old senior at the academy, says she has no memory of having sex with any of the accused on that night.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.