CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Chief Mass Communications Specialist (AW/NAO/NAC) Ryan Courtade, pleaded guilty Aug.ust 25 in Chesapeake, Virginia, Circuit Court to a charge of possession of child pornography — a video he shot of a minor.
Courtade, 34, and a 15-year Navy veteran, is due back in court Nov. 13 for sentencing and faces up to 10 years in prison for the charges.
His guilty plea came as part of a plea bargain that agreement which allowed Courtade to avoid prosecution on two related charges. He was indicted by a grand jury in March on all three charges following his arrest on in the early morning hours of Aug.ust 5, 2014 outside his Chesapeake, Va. home. Navy Times' policy is to not identify reported victims of sexual abuse.
At the time, Courtade had just checked aboard the pre-commissioning unit of the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, but was arrested before he ever started work on the ship, Navy officials say. tell Navy Times. His previous command had been Expeditionary Combat Camera on Naval Base, Norfolk, where he'd served since July of 2012.
The minor told police that Courtade had recorded her showering; a search of Courtade's computer, the documents said, came up with a 24-minute video of the girl showering. Courtade also admitted that the camera belonged to the U.S. Navy.
Courtade, originally from Michigan according to information released by the Navy, entered the Navy in July, 1999. He advanced to chief petty officer in 2010. During his career, he has earned e’s authorized to wear are three Air Medals, and three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two of them with Combat Device.
With his guilty plea, Courtade is being processed for an administrative discharge, according to Cmdr. Mike Kafka, spokesman for Naval Air Force Atlantic.
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
