Congressional Aide Charged In Molestation
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A congressional aide who hosted Naval Academy midshipmen at his Annapolis apartment has been charged with sexually molesting three male sophomores.
John J. Whitt, 39, the legislative director for the U.S. delegate from Guam, was arrested Monday after the three midshipmen accused him of fondling them on separate weekends in June and September, police say.
The midshipmen reported that Whitt invited them to his apartment under a Naval Academy program in which Annapolis residents extend hospitality to midshipmen. He waited until they were asleep before making unwanted sexual advances, according to court documents.
Whitt was charged with three counts each of a fourth-degree sex offense and battery. He is free on $2,500 bail while awaiting trial. Yesterday, he went on leave from his congressional job.
A 1978 graduate of the Air Force Academy and former B-52 pilot, Whitt has faced similar charges before. In 1987, he pleaded guilty to "offensive touching" of a Navy sailor in a Guam hotel. He was fined $150 and received two years of probation.
The three midshipmen may face disciplinary action for underage drinking at Whitt's apartment, an academy spokesman said.