A Naval Academy midshipman is charged with breaking into the sleeping quarters of three female midshipmen and sexually assaulting or attempting to sexually assault them on four occasions, according to charging documents.
Third Class Midshipman Nixon Keago has been charged with sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, burglary and obstruction of justice for incidents at the Annapolis military school in February, September and October 2018 and in New York in May, according to charging documents provided by the Naval Academy. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating.
While on active duty in February 2018, Keago broke into the dorm room of another midshipman and had sex with her while she slept, charging documents state. This happened again while he was on active duty on Oct. 21, 2018, the documents state. The documents outline that he has been charged under Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which defines different degrees of sexual assault and rape.
In September 2018 and again in New York this past May, charging documents state, Keago broke into the sleeping quarters of female midshipmen and attempted to have sex with them while they slept, as the Navy Times first reported.
Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck approved the charges last month.
Keago was charged with obstruction of justice for telling midshipmen to lie to military authorities after the incidents in September and May, according to the documents. His attorney could not be reached for comment.
Keago is on an unpaid leave of absence, Naval Academy spokeswoman Jenny Erickson said. Erickson declined to comment further.
He is a chemistry major from Texas and served in the Marine Corps before joining the academy, according to his Navy sports biography. He was a member of the soccer team in 2017, his freshman year.
His court-martial trial is scheduled for January at the Washington Navy Yard, Erickson said.
The Naval Academy received 32 reports of sexual assault in the 2017-2018 school year, according to the Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies. That’s three more than the previous academic year. Estimated rates also increased at the United States Naval Academy for both women (56 percent in 2018 versus 51 percent in 2016) and men (17 percent in 2018 versus 12 percent in 2016)
Earlier this year, a jury acquitted a midshipman after he was charged with rape, causing bodily harm and obstructing justice in March 2018 after a female sailor enlisted in the Navy Reserve accused him of sexually assaulting her while she was asleep.
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