THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 26, 1996 TAG: 9607260476
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 31 lines
The admiral in charge of the Navy's recruiting command has stepped down while he appeals a preliminary finding of sexual misconduct, the Navy said Thursday.
Rear Adm. Anthony J. Watson is accused of unbecoming conduct and making false statements in connection with a case involving the wife of a Navy recruiter. An admiral's mast, a Navy administrative proceeding, determined over the weekend that sufficient evidence existed to sustain the charges.
Watson, a nuclear submariner who has been regarded as one of the Navy's rising stars, is appealing the finding to more senior Navy officials, as is normally the case in such matters.
Watson ``has been temporarily reassigned . . . pending final resolution of administrative actions taken in response to an allegation of wrongdoing on his part,'' the Navy said in a statement.
The accusations against Watson involve the wife of a Navy recruiter who accompanied her husband to Washington for a meeting between Watson and a group of recruiters that went on for several days.
The woman alleges Watson and she engaged in consensual sex at that time, but Watson denies it, the Navy said.
Naval regulations hold that an officer can be charged with ``conduct unbecoming an officer'' or actions that compromise the officer's ``character as a gentleman.'' by CNB