A Navy SEAL commodore was relieved of command of Naval Special Warfare Group 8 Wednesday after being charged with a DWI in January and not reporting it to superiors until last week, according to Virginia court records and a defense official with knowledge of the case.
Capt. Richard A. Zaszewski was arrested by police on Jan. 19 and charged with misdemeanor DWI, according to court records.
Online records only indicate that he was arrested in Virginia, but the case was filed in Virginia Beach General District Court.
And while he did not initially report the alleged infraction to his bosses, Zaszewski self-reported the incident last week, which led to his relief, according to a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.
Court records show it was Zaszewski’s first offense, and that his blood alcohol content was between 0.15% and 0.2%, above the legal limit of .08%.
He was released on his own recognizance the same day of his arrest, according to court records.
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Robert Morecock, the attorney listed as representing Zaszewski in court records, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zaszewski could not be reached for comment.
He took command of the unit in August 2022, and was scheduled to hand over the reins of command this summer, according to the defense official.
The Navy has not initiated its own investigation into Zaszewski, and the defense official said it remains unclear as of Wednesday whether he would face discipline within the military system.
The next hearing in his case is scheduled for May 15, according to court records.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the location of Zaszewski’s arrest. He was arrested in Virginia.
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.
