Navy officer charged with hazing after forcing sailor to carry around Charlie Brown figurine

A Navy officer is facing several charges, including hazing and maltreatment, after verbally and emotionally abusing and taking reprisal against a sailor who asked to stop being called “Charlie Brown,” the Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday.

The unnamed lieutenant commander, a reservist assigned to the Lakehurst, New Jersey-based Navy Cargo Handling Battalion Eight, was also charged with making false statements and willful dereliction of duty for failing to promote the health, welfare and morale of all personnel.

He was further charged with failing to take correction action after being presented evidence of an unduly familiar relationship between two sailors in Afghanistan.

According to the charges, the officer forced a sailor to carry a Charlie Brown figurine at all times, and punched a chair next to a sailor at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport before saying “I can’t believe that [expletive] idiot got an award.”

The lieutenant allegedly yelled at someone for 30 minutes to an hour, even though he said he spoke to the person in a “calm, easy voice” for 10 minutes.

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Featured image courtesy of WWMT