Navy chief charged with sexual assault of teen girl in Waterford
Sep. 5—WATERFORD — A decorated U.S. Navy Command Master Chief was relieved of his duties last week and reassigned following his arrest here on sexual assault charges.
Joshua Sturgill, 46, with a last known address of 26 Braman Road, faces felony charges in connection with a complaint from a 14-year-old girl that she was sexually assaulted by Sturgill at his Waterford home, police records show.
Waterford police detectives, following a months-long investigation, arrested Sturgill on Aug. 29 and charged him with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. He is free after posting a $150,000 bond and is not allowed to leave the state without prior approval from the Department of Adult Probation.
At the time of his arrest, Sturgill was serving in the Navy as Command Master Chief and assigned to the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., a Navy spokesperson said. Naval Sea Systems Command, or NAVSEA, designs, builds and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems.
Sturgill was relieved of his duties on Aug. 31 and administratively reassigned to the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, NAVSEA spokeswoman Susan Mainwaring said.
Waterford police detectives started an investigation into Sturgill on March 8 after they were notified by the state Department of Children and Families of a suspected case of child abuse. The alleged sexual assault occurred between September and December 2022 while the girl was visiting Sturgill's home.
During a forensic interview conducted at the New London County Child Advocacy Center on June 3, the girl said she was sexually assaulted by Sturgill on his living room couch and admitted being "uncomfortable with what Sturgill was doing."
According to the affidavit for Sturgill's arrest warrant, "The victim felt like she was in a 'daze', possibly 'in shock' at what was happening. The victim was 'scared' and 'kind of frozen.'"
Police said the assault was at one point interrupted by Sturgill's wife who had walked into the living room. Sturgill, police said, stopped what he was doing.
"After his wife left left the area and presumably went back to her bedroom, Sturgill told the victim that his wife was ruining all of the fun," the arrest warrant states.
The victim told police she hid in the bathroom for the rest of the night after the assault. The victim also told police she rebuffed Sturgill's advances during a different visit. Police said the alleged victim described other incidents in which Sturgill allegedly touched her inappropriately, commented on how she looked and took photos of her, which police described as "grooming" behavior.
Sturgill enlisted in the Navy in 1995, served aboard several different submarines and was at one time the director of Basic Enlisted Submarine School in Groton, according to his Navy profile. He previously served as command master chief of Submarine Squadron Four at the submarine base in Groton. He assumed his current duties with SEANAV on July 7.
Sturgill, who has not yet entered a plea in the case, is due to appear again on Nov. 1 in New London's Part A court, where serious crimes are heard. An attorney representing Sturgill was not immediately available to comment on Tuesday.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is cooperating with Waterford investigators in the case, the Navy spokesperson said.
