Sailor Charged With Setting USS Bonhomme Richard Fire
Preliminary hearing will lead to recommendation about a court martial.
An unnamed sailor has been charged with setting the fire aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard last July that burned for days and led to the decommissioning of the ship, the Navy said Thursday.
A criminal investigation into the blaze revealed enough evidence to bring charges against the sailor, who was a member of the ship’s crew at the time of the fire, according to a U.S. 3rd Fleet statement.
“Evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing in accordance with due process under the military justice system,” Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a spokesman for U.S. 3rd Fleet, said in the statement.