Defense witness tells of good relationship with Navy chief

NORFOLK

 The embattled senior chief petty officer accused of assaulting and hazing sailors aboard the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush had just one witness testify in his defense Tuesday, the last day of his three-day preliminary hearing.

 Lawyers for Senior Chief Kevin Curtis telephoned Command Master Chief John W. Heck Jr., the senior enlisted sailor aboard the Bush, which is at sea for training.

 Heck's phone testimony lasted about 30 minutes. He said he arrived on the Bush in January 2009 and had a "highly professional" working relationship with Curtis, who handled security aboard the carrier.

 His testimony centered on his instructions to other chiefs on the Bush regarding command advancement packages for junior sailors. In addition to charges of physical abuse, Curtis is accused of failing to properly process administrative paperwork, specifically a command advancement package for Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Edmonds.

 Other witnesses said Curtis claimed that no first-time applicants, such as Edmonds, would have their packages considered. But Heck said he never gave that message and in fact encouraged bosses to submit packages for junior sailors desiring promotion.

 An investigation conducted aboard the Bush concluded that Curtis stopped Edmonds' package from going up the chain of command. Edmonds - named Sailor of the Year aboard the carrier in 2009 - is being forced to leave the Navy, which is slimming its ranks in certain specialties, including masters-at-arms.

 Heck said he never received any complaints from junior sailors assigned to Curtis' department about what defense attorney Rick Morris called "excessive horseplay" or about Curtis' treatment.

 Defense attorneys have repeatedly questioned the sailors who testified about being stapled, thrown into lockers, handcuffed and pepper-sprayed by Curtis about why they didn't report his behavior. All have said they feared retaliation from Curtis.

 The prosecution's final witness Tuesday was Petty Officer 2nd Class James Allen, a master-at-arms on the ship. He described Curtis' reaction to his request for leave to get married.

 Allen said he submitted the request at least five months early because the wedding was set to occur while the Bush was at sea.

 Curtis, he said, required him to submit paperwork that included the names and addresses of all the guests, copies of signed contracts for the DJ, photographer, site rental and caterer. He said Curtis also told him he needed a daily itinerary for his absence, including what route he would drive, where he would be staying each day and what activities were planned for each day of his honeymoon. Curtis told him the ship's executive officer requested the information, he said.

 Allen said even after doing that, the paperwork sat in Curtis' in-box for months. He was forced to resubmit it twice. Just days before the wedding, Allen received the signed leave paperwork.

 Curtis' defense attorneys didn't spend much time talking about the leave request.

 "You made it to your wedding, right?" Lt. Benjamin Sandel asked Allen.

 Earlier Tuesday, Petty Officer 2nd Class Calvin Crump testified that Curtis stapled into his skin on numerous occasions - including more than 20 times in one instance - during the year he worked under Curtis. In one instance, after Curtis became upset because Crump needed a day off, Curtis forced Crump to lie across a desk and then stapled into his back repeatedly, Crump said.

 In coming weeks, the investigating officer presiding over the hearing will recommend a course of action for Curtis' case. The ultimate decision about whether to court-martial Curtis will be made by the commanding officer of the Bush, Capt. Chip Miller.

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

Corinne Reilly, (757) 446-2949, corinne.reilly@pilotonline.com