CALIFORNIA
Navy Times
By Gidget Fuentes – Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 22, 2012
SAN DIEGO — The Marine Corps has formally charged a Navy chaplain at the Marine Corps’ desert training base with several counts of alleged misconduct, including sexual harassment, indecent conduct, assault and fraternization, a spokesman confirmed Friday.
The chaplain, Lt. Cmdr. Steven E. Hicks, is scheduled to appear July 24 at an Article 32 investigation hearing at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., said Marine Capt. Nick Mannweiler, a combat center spokesman.
Hicks, 57, is a Catholic priest assigned who arrived at Twentynine Palms in 2008. He was pulled from his religious duties after allegations surfaced and an investigation began in late February, Mannweiler said. He remains assigned to the combat center staff.
Mannweiler said he did not have information about the nature of the charges, and he said he could not provide a copy of the official charge sheet that details the allegations. The Article 32 officer will preside over the preliminary hearing and recommend whether the charges against Hicks should be sent to a court-martial, be reduced or dismissed.
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