An explosive ordnance disposal chief once assigned to SEAL Team 6 will stand trial for allegedly distributing “an intimate visual image,” attacking a sailor with a shovel, doling out Adderall, abusing marijuana and pushing a woman to the ground, Navy charge sheets indicate.
Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposalman Sean M. Conley has been assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 2 in Virginia Beach since 2015, according to service records.
Conley’s military attorney, Lt. Joseph Dowdalls, declined comment for this story.
The allegations against the chief largely center around a few days in September of 2018.
He is accused of swinging a shovel at a male sailor on Sept. 11, 2018, in Virginia Beach, the same day he allegedly pushed a female down and allegedly distributed the image to an unnamed person or persons.
The person depicted in the image is not identified by authorities, but prosecutors wrote that Conley “reasonably should have known that the distribution of the visual image was likely to cause emotional distress" and that "under such circumstances, such conduct had a reasonably direct and palpable connection to a military environment,” the charge sheet states.
RELATED
Navy officials redacted the names of all Conley’s alleged victims from the records provided to Navy Times and have not announced his trial date.
Military prosecutors also accuse Conley of distributing five pills of Adderall, a prescription drug with amphetamine-like effects, on Sept. 10, 2018, military prosecutors say.
He faces a dereliction of duty charge for his allegedly improper "handling and transportation of inert ordnance training aids” on Sept. 11, as well as for using marijuana and driving a truck and motorcycle while high on the same day, according to his charge sheets.
Authorities also charged Conley with “unlawfully” pushing a victim on several occasions last summer.
Originally from Virginia, Conley made chief in 2016 and has been awarded a combat action ribbon, according to service records.
That decoration is bestowed on those who actively participate in ground or surface combat, including disabling or destroying an improvised explosive device, or IED.
Conley was assigned to the Naval Special Warfare and Development Group — also known as SEAL Team Six and “DEVGRU"— from February 2011 to August 2011.
This story was changed to reflect that the chief allegedly distributed an improper image, a charge he denies.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
