PORT HUENEME : 3 Military Policemen Dispute Charges

Three Port Hueneme military policemen facing court-martials for allegedly apprehending a deserter off base without permission said the charges against them have no basis and are a result of the whistle-blowing activities of one of the three.

Navy officials said Master at Arms George R. Taylor, Spec. 2nd Class Mark A. Bassett and Signalman 2nd Class Thomas S. Hinson all are charged with dereliction of duty for apprehending Richard V. Miller on Nov. 16, 1992, in Oxnard.

Neither the three men nor Navy officials would comment on the details of the incident.

But Taylor’s Naval attorney, Lt. Carter Brod, said, “It is our contention that everything that was done by Senior Chief Taylor was completely within the guidelines of his job.”

Linda Wadley, a spokeswoman for the base, said the three, along with federal Police Officer Byron J. Frank, did not have the authority to apprehend Miller in Oxnard. Frank faces possible discipline pending the outcome of the court-martials.

“They do not have the authority to conduct police business off base unless authorized by the commanding officer,” she said. “And they must be authorized for each specific instance.”

Taylor, a 16-year veteran of the Navy, said he believes that the charges are a direct result of his whistle-blowing activities at a Naval station in Bermuda.

On a national TV news show in December, 1992, Taylor accused high-ranking Navy officials of keeping the base open because they enjoyed using it for vacations.

“The people at the (Port Hueneme military police) know it’s nothing more than a witch hunt,” he said.

But Wadley denied Taylor’s assertion.

“That’s absolutely false,” she said. “The charges have nothing to do with the incident in Bermuda.”