SHOCKER

Navy Sailor Found Not Guilty of Torching $1.2 Billion Warship

Seaman Recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays, 21, reportedly harbored a grudge against the Navy after washing out of SEAL training and enduring an embarrassing breakup.

A young U.S. Navy sailor accused of setting fire to a $1.2 billion amphibious assault ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard, rendering the vessel a total loss, has been found not guilty after a nine-day military trial in San Diego. Seaman Recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays, 21, was cleared on Friday by a military judge on charges of willful hazarding of a vessel and aggravated arson, Navy spokesman Lt. Samuel R. Boyle said. Mays reportedly harbored a grudge against the Navy after washing out of SEAL training and enduring an embarrassing breakup. But the evidence against him was largely circumstantial, as the crime scene itself was destroyed in the fire. More than 20 servicemembers have faced internal disciplinary action stemming from the blaze, according to the AP.