A senior chief is facing court-martial proceedings over allegations that he assaulted and sexually harassed shipmates while assigned to the dock landing ship Whidbey Island.
Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Jose M. Hernandez-Gomez is charged with kissing and touching another Whidbey Island sailor without consent in 2016, according to charge sheets provided to Navy Times.
He also is accused of sexually harassing five sailors on the ship from 2015 to 2018.
Hernandez-Gomez faces an obstruction of justice charge for allegedly telling a witness that he would help that sailor “get back to Scout School and BUDS” if the sailor didn’t say anything or press charges, according to charge sheets.
The senior chief is also charged with having “an unduly familiar relationship” with two sailors from June 2016 to June 2018.
Prosecutors also allege the senior chief struck at least one shipmate “in the head with his fist” on March 27, 2018. Other charges include grabbing a sailor’s neck and pinning a sailor’s arms by their sides on the same day, plus grabbing a sailor’s belt.
Because the names of his alleged victims are redacted in the publicly released charge sheets, however, it remains unclear how many sailors Hernandez-Gomez allegedly assaulted.
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Hernandez-Gomez’s attorney, Coast Guard Lt. Patricia Liggett, declined comment.
A Massachusetts native, Hernandez-Gomez was advanced to senior chief on June 16, nine days before charges were preferred against him, according to his service record and charge sheets.
His trial is scheduled for mid-May, but Navy spokesman Jeff Hood said another motion hearing is likely before that.
Hernandez-Gomez enlisted in 2001 and reported to the Whidbey Island 13 years later.
Navy Times editor’s note: We’ve updated this story to remove the verb “fraternize.” That’s a specific charge under the UCMJ that applies only to commissioned and warrant officers and shouldn’t be used to generally describe alleged conduct.
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.
