Sailout accused of starting fire that destroyed USS Bonhomme found not guilty

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Sailout accused of starting fire that destroyed USS Bonhomme found not guilty

SAN DIEGO - The sailor accused of starting a fire that essentially destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard, a 41,000 ton amphibious assault vessel, was found not guilty Friday of starting the blaze that burned for days.

U.S. Navy Capt. Derek Butler found deck seaman Ryan Sawyer Mays, 21, not guilty of aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel.

I am so grateful that this is finally over," Mays said Friday at Naval Base San Diego.

The Navy's Naval Criminal Investigative Service focused its investigation on Mays but a command investigation in 2021 said 17 sailors and five admirals failed to fulfill their responsibilities that contributed to the blaze on July 12, 2020. Most of them were disciplined.

The investigation found that the ship was home to hazardous materials that were improperly stored, clutter and fire lines that were missing. Nearly 90% of its fire stations weren't working the morning of the fire, the agency said. Sailors were not properly trained and ready for the calamity, it said.

The presence of contemporary tinder - lithium ion batteries near cardboard boxes may have contributed to the fire's intensity and reach, investigators found. The command investigation concluded that total destruction was preventable.

Gary Barthel, a civilian lawyer who served as a consultant for the defense, said that questions about the origin of the fire never seemed to be answered by the Navy.

There are questions about whether Ryan Mays started this fire, he said in mid-September.

In a statement on Friday, Lt. Samuel R. Boyle, a spokesman for the U.S. 3rd Fleet, said the Navy is committed to upholding the principles of due process and fair trial. Mays, who was 19 when the fire started and sent smoke over San Diego for days, remains with the Navy. He was promoted to a seaman apprentice from the rank of Jan. 11.

After dropping out of SEALs training, he was assigned to the USS Bonhomme Richard, and Navy prosecutors said he was disgruntled as a result.

His defense team said Mays was no more disgruntled than any other sailor assigned to cleanup duties.

On Friday, the Washington, D.C. based Brandon Caserta Foundation, founded to promote mental health, castigated the Navy for pursuing the case against Mays.

The Navy's president, Teri Caserta, said that it was one of the most evil things the Navy could do by losing a ship on a former Navy SEAL candidate because he was considered disgruntled. There was no evidence that Mays was an arsonist. Seventeen sailors and four civilians were wounded in the fire that destroyed 60 percent of the ship. The 840-foot vessel, which displaces roughly 41 tons and was designed to help land U.S. Marines during combat missions, remained watertight.

In late 2020, the Navy decided that it would be more cost-efficient to scrap the $1 billion ship than rebuild it.

Mays said on Friday that his Navy career had been ruined by the accusations.

He said that he's looking forward to starting over.

West Point law professor Gary Solis said he was surprised to see the Navy fail to prosecute after two years.

I am beyond surprised, he said by email. Is it true that in criminal trials, military or civilian, the question is not done by the accused?