Naval Academy teacher is removed amid widening sexual misconduct scandal
By John Woodrow Cox April 25 at 8:35 PM
Marine Maj. Mark Thompson, left, was convicted of having sex with two female midshipmen while he taught at the U.S. Naval Academy. His friend, Marine Maj. Michael Pretus, right, is now being removed from his academy teaching position. (Left: Nikki Kahn/TWP; Right: TWP)
A second U.S. Naval Academy instructor has been implicated in a sexual misconduct scandal reverberating across a military still struggling to hold service members accountable when allegations are made against them.
The instructor, Marine Maj. Michael Pretus, is being removed from his position by Naval Academy leaders who said they weren’t aware of a former student’s sexual accusation against him.
The reassignment comes after a new investigation of a fellow Marine, Maj. Mark Thompson, who was convicted in 2013 of having sex with two female midshipmen while he was a teacher at the academy. In a stunning reversal, Pretus — a key defense witness at Thompson’s court-martial — has now agreed to testify against his longtime friend.
“I’m going to be a witness for the prosecution,” Pretus told The Washington Post in an interview Sunday.
WaPo
