Navy chaplain found guilty of rape and fraternization

NORFOLK

Navy chaplain Lt. Shane Dillman, convicted of rape, as well as various fraternization and adultery charges, left the court building at Norfolk Naval Station in handcuffs Monday to begin serving his sentence.

Capt. Moira Modzelewski, the military judge who presided over the case, sentenced the lieutenant to 10 years' confinement and dismissal from the service. Her ruling must be affirmed by Rear Adm. Richard O'Hanlon, commander of the Naval Air Force Atlantic.

Dillman, who was stationed on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, admitted last week to multiple affairs with young enlisted women, but he pleaded not guilty to rape, one of the fraternization charges and a single count of making a threat.

After a four-day trial, Modzelewski found him guilty of all charges except making a threat.

Dillman, a married father of three, was a Pentecostal minister endorsed by the Coalition of Spirit-Filled Churches. He has been on administrative duty since the charges were filed.

Charles Gittins, his civilian lawyer, said before sentencing that Dillman, 37, had been affected by ministering to more than 800 injured Marines while stationed at Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

A defense witness, psychologist Don Lewittes, said Dillman likely suffered from "vicarious traumatization," and began feeling dead inside. The sex was a means of trying to feel alive, Lewittes theorized.

In a statement, the chaplain apologized to God, his family, and the Marines and military members he ministered to. Serving as a Navy chaplain was a great honor, he said, adding that he still wakes up in the middle of the night, remembering the numerous Marines he watched "slip from this Earth."

Lt. j.g. Bill Geraty, the assistant prosecutor, took issue with one thing Dillman said in the statement: "I'm sorry the circumstances have taken ministry opportunities away from me."

Geraty told the judge that Dillman had not taken responsibility for his actions, and he was selfishly thinking of his own losses instead of those of his victims.

The pattern Dillman showed - becoming overly friendly with young enlisted women who sought his advice, building eventually to romantic involvement - was exploitative and manipulative, Geraty said.

"This is not a case of 'Whoops, I stepped over the line,' " Geraty said, referring to the fraternization charges. "This was calculated."

"When Marines and sailors go to a chaplain for solace," he said, "they do not expect to enter the wolf's lair."

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com