Florida man found guilty of rape in 2005 Norfolk attack

NORFOLK

A Florida man was convicted Tuesday of rape in a 2005 attack at the Navy Lodge.

Fredrick Ford, 32, pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to an assault on a woman that involved three other men in a hotel room on Hampton Boulevard. Prosecutors dropped a felony charge of object sexual penetration.

Ford, an active-duty Navy sailor based in Jacksonville, Fla., is the last of four co-defendants to plead guilty, court records state. The three other men were also active-duty sailors at the time of the September 2005 assault. Two pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, and a third pleaded guilty to attempted rape, court records state.

Authorities learned of the incident this year when pictures of the assault were developed from disposable cameras and taken to police, according to attorneys.

Ford took an Alford plea, not admitting guilt but acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him if the case went to trial.

Ford faces a maximum of eight years in prison, according to his plea agreement. He is scheduled to be sentenced in February.