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THE BALTIMORE SUN NEWS SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014 Academy chief defends prosecution of sex case Ex-Senate aide ruled a suicide in Sykesville Loskarn, 35, was fired after arrest on child porn charges By Justin George and Blair Ames Baltimore Sun Media Group Midshipman Tate's defense says Miller was pressed by superiors, national debate tive prosecution on Miller's part He offered a string of news reports, letters and email messages in an attempt to show that Miller was regularly updating his superiors on the case as news coverage and political discussion of sexual assault in the military intensified in 2012 and 2013. In testimony Friday, the superintendent acknowledged the na tional attention on military sexual assault and this case in particular but said the charges against Tate should move forward because there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that he might have committed a crime. Miller going to end sexual assault in the military, we need to start by ending it at the institutions that train our future leaders." Miller said Mikulski is "certainly enti-ded to send a letter when she has concerns." He said his staff discussed holding a meeting with Mikulski on the issue, but it never took place. During a preliminary hearing in August and September, the alleged victim testified that she drank excessively before and during a party at an off-campus "football house" in April 2012. She said she had only spotty memories of the night but believed she might have been sexually assaulted, in part because of rumors and social media postings among her classmates.

At one point, the investigation was closed, but it was reopened after she agreed to cooperate. The military judge who oversaw the preliminary hearing concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Tate might have committed a crime, but recommended against prosecution because a conviction was unlikely. Miller's own legal adviser and a regional Navy legal office also recommended against prosecution, but Miller decided to go ahead with the case against Tate and Midshipman Eric Graham. The case against Graham was later dropped after a judge ruled that statements made by the midshipman would not be admissible because he had not been read his Miranda rights. During Friday's testimony, Miller appeared calm and confident, at times smiling when lawyers argued over objections.

At times, the admiral's testimony was inaudible because he spoke so softly. Attorneys will make oral arguments on the defense motions in February. Baltimore Sun reporter John Fritze contributed to this article. pwoodbaltsun.com twitter.compwoodreporter By Pamela Wood The Baltimore Sun The superintendent of the Naval Academy told a military judge Friday that his decision to prosecute a midshipman in a high-profile sexual assault case was not influenced by politicians, public pressure or his military supervisors. Vice Adm.

Michael H. Miller spent more than three hours on the stand in a military court at the Washington Navy Yard defending his decision to pursue charges against Midshipman Joshua Tate. He rebutted the contention that the national spotlight on sexual assault in the military including a pledge from President Barack Obama to root out sexual predators in the service affected the way he has handled the case. Tate's lawyers contend that Miller was pressured to press the case despite scant evidence and an alleged victim who has changed her story several times. Miller, as the commanding officer of the academy, has final say on whether to prosecute criminal cases.

Tate, a resident of Nashville, is one of three midshipmen initially accused of sexually assaulting a female classmate at an off-campus party in April 2012. Charges were never brought against one, and charges against the other were later dropped. A former member of the Navy football team, Tate is charged with aggravated sexual assault and making a false official statement His court-martial is scheduled for March. Jason Ehrenberg, Tate's civilian attorney, has filed pretrial motions alleging unlawful command influence and selec- Miller told the judge, Marine Corps Col. Daniel J.

Daugherty, that he stood by his decision to prosecute, and also stood by published comments in December that a court-martial was necessary to get a "fair illumination" of the incident and to maintain "good order and discipline" at the academy. He said he was not pressured by statements by Obama in 2013, including comments at the academy's graduation, on the need to deal with sexual predators in the military. Miller also said he was not influenced by letters from Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski in 2013 to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel urging military academy superintendents be held accountable for sexual assaults within the ranks.

"I am deeply troubled by the lackluster response from the superintendents to increasing rates of sexual assault within their academies," the Maryland Democrat wrote in her letter to Hagel. And to Mabus, Mikulski wrote, "Cadets and midshipmen are watching how their leaders handle these crimes. If we are A former congressional aide facing federal child pornography charges was found dead at his Sykesville family's home in an apparent suicide, Carroll County sheriff's officials said Friday. Jesse Ryan Loskarn, 35, former chief of staff to Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, was found unresponsive by family members about noon Thursday in the basement, the sheriff's office said.

Bruce Goldfarb, spokesman for the chief medical examiner's office, said Loskarn's death has been ruled a suicide by hanging. Sheriff's officials said Loskarn had been living with his family at the home in the 6400 block of Kenmar Drive since December, when a judge ordered that he live under his parents' supervision. U.S. postal agents arrested Loskarn last month on suspicion of possessing and attempting to distribute child pornography, according to federal court records. Alexander, who is seeking a third term this year, fired Loskarn after his arrest.

"For everyone involved, this is a sad and tragic story from beginning to end," Alexander said in a statement No one answered the door Friday afternoon at the family home, which sits at the end of a dead-end street in a quiet Sykesville neighborhood. Pamela S. Satterfield, Loskarn's attorney, declined to comment Friday. Loskarn, who went by the name of Ryan, previously worked for Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican He also served as communications director for the Senate Republican Conference.

According to federal court records, Loskarn was born and raised in Maryland. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans and spent most of his professional life working on Capitol Hill. He had been living in a home in Southeast Washington that he has owned since 2009 until a judge required that he move in with his parents. The investigation that led to Loskarn's arrest began in 2010. According to a statement of facts filed in U.S.

District Court in Washington, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Toronto Police Service began investigating a movie production company that offered DVDs and streaming videos for sale, most of which featured young nude boys. A review of invoices and purchase summaries, as well as postal service records, led authorities to believe Loskarn had made several purchases between November 2010 and March 201L Early in October, postal inspectors identified Loskarn's IP address on a network offering files with names that were consistent with child pornography. On Dec. 1L investigators executed a search warrant at Loskarn's Washington home.

When no one answered, officers rammed the door. According to court records, as investigators went in, one noticed Loskarn leaning out a second-floor window and placing something on the ledge before closing the window. It was found to be a portable hard drive, court documents said. A computer forensic examiner inspected the hard drive and found child pornography, documents state. On Dec.

12, Loskarn was charged with possessing child pornography and attempting to distribute child pornography. His attorneys asked that the judge release Loskarn to his family. In a memorandum in support of his pretrial release, Loskarn's attorneys said his professional history and community ties should be considered. "He has no history of drug or alcohol abuse and Mr. Loskarn's background suggests that he is a decent, hardworking, loyal employee, friend and family member," Loskarn's attorneys said in a court filing.

His attorneys suggested that Loskarn submit to law enforcement monitoring, surrender his passport and undergo a mental health evaluation. A judge agreed with the stipulations and ordered him confined to his parents' home 24 hours a day, except for court- or health-related matters. U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola placed Loskarn in a "high intensity supervision program" and prohibited him from using the Internet, which his parents promised to enforce.

In a statement Friday, Chuck and Gay Loskarn told other news organizations, "We loved our son very much, and we're devastated by his death. Please respect our privacy at this difficult time and let us grieve in peace. Pray for him, his family and friends." jgeorgebaltsun.com twitter.comjustingeorge BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLORBALTIMORE SUN PHOTO The search for warmth Robert Lee Thomas of Baltimore, who said he is homeless, sits near a steam grate on Guilford Avenue in an effort to stay warm Friday on a day when the high temperature reached only 21 degrees. Temperatures in the 30s and some snow are forecast for today. Leaders, activists discuss surge in city violence year's efforts would be concentrated in Sandtown-Winchester and Belair-Edison, neighborhoods he said bore the brunt of shootings and homicides last year.

The audience included five members of the safety-patrolling Guardian Angels in their trademark red berets and Philip Leaf, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence. "Anything that's trying to bring people together constructively to positively engage youth is a good activity," Leaf said. The planning session seemed like a logical next step to build on last year's 300 Men March and subsequent smaller forays into crime-saddled parts of town, he said, adding that one goal should be more follow-up engagement with youth. The 300 Men March took place July 5, cutting east across the city along North Avenue. Promoted largely through social media and word of mouth, the nearly 10-mile trek drew more than 600 people, according to participants, among them Rawlings-Blake and Baltimore police Commissioner Anthony W.

Batts. A number of smaller marches were held later in the summer, including one in which about 60 men walked through East Baltimore, speaking to people they met and handing out fliers detailing a "code of honor" for peacefully resolving conflicts. Baltimore Sun reporter Luke Broadwater contributed to this article. scalvertbaltsun.com Meeting calls on residents to mobilize against crime By Scott Calvert The Baltimore Sun The founder of last year's 300 Men March and two Baltimore City Council members held an emergency planning meeting Friday evening at City Hall, saying the bloody start to the new year spurred them to develop a violence prevention strategy sooner than they had originally anticipated. The city recorded 16 homicides in the first 12 days of the year.

January's toll stood at 18 as of Friday night. Last year, there were 235 homicides in Baltimore, an 8 percent increase over 2012 and a four-year high. "A murder a day wasn't something we could just sit on," said Munir Bahar, who founded the march movement last year to galvanize residents, particularly men, to combat violence. "We were kind of hoping the wintertime would calm things down a litde and we would have more time for planning." Also Friday, it emerged that a 24-year-old man killed this month was the nephew of City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young.

Tavon Antonio Young, who was sentenced in 2009 to five years in prison for his role in a high-profile drug distribution conspiracy, was found fatally shot Jan. 17 in an alley in the Harwood neighborhood. The funeral was Friday, and Young was unavailable for comment. His spokesman, Lester Davis, said the councilman was "spending his time supporting his sister and their extended family during this period of grief." Last May, a 20-year-old cousin of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was fatally shot, the victim of a suspected home invasion robbery. Friday's meeting was called by Bahar and Councilmen Brandon Scott and Nick Mosby.

"We wanted to get a plan together and get people mobilized, so when spring hits we can be ready to deploy into the neighborhoods," said Scott, who represents Northeast Baltimore and is vice chairman of the council's Public Safety Committee. A standing-room-only crowd of about 100, including community group leaders and Police Department representatives, packed a meeting room at City Hall as Bahar, a fitness trainer, delivered a high-energy presentation. "This is the charge: How do we do more?" he said. "How do we increase our presence on the streets?" Among the ideas he outlined were the creation of a "mobilized street force" of at least 100 people and a citywide communications network of 1,000 residents to alert their neighbors to incidents in "real time." Bahar also said that starting April this Video online To see video about the death of Jesse Ryan Loskarn, go to baltimoresun.com.