A Navy judge ruled that a sailor was not guilty of setting The Fire That Destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego in 2020. The ruling came after a nine-day trial Friday at Naval Base San Diego.
“Seaman Recruit Mays was found not guilty of charges of intentional endangerment of a ship and serious arson. The Navy is committed to upholding the principles of due process and fair trial,” said US 3rd spokesman Lt. Samuel R. Boyle. fleet.
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Prosecutors alleged the then-19-year-old Ryan Sawyer Meso He was charged with arson and intentionally endangering the ship and burning a cardboard box in the lower vehicle storage area.
However, there is no physical evidence of fire tied the mess on the ship, which was docked at the time and was undergoing maintenance.
A Navy report last year concluded that the fire that destroyed the $1.2 billion amphibious attack ship was preventable and unacceptable and that deficiencies in training, coordination, communications, fire preparedness, equipment maintenance and overall command and control She was
more than 20 senior officers and sailors disciplined in relation to the incident.
