October 31, 2006
Article 32 this week for midshipman accused of rapes

By Andrew Scutro
Staff writer

An Article 32 hearing for rape and drug charges against a Naval Academy midshipman will begin Thursday at the Washington Navy Yard.

Midshipman 1st Class Kenny Ray Morrison, a former football player, would have graduated in May. Instead he is accused of drugging and raping two female midshipmen, one in February in Washington, D.C., and the other in April in Annapolis, Md.

He also faces assault with the “means likely to cause death or grievous bodily injuries” charges related to the drug allegations.

The charges against Morrison allege that he gave the two female midshipmen gamma hydroxybutyric acid without their knowledge. GHB is a recreational drug that can also incapacitate a person and is known as a “date-rape drug.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, “GHB has been used in the commission of sexual assaults because it renders the victim incapable of resisting, and may cause memory problems that could complicate case prosecution.”

In addition, Morrison faces a charge of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. Contained in the conduct unbecoming charge is an allegation that while in a Washington hotel room in February, Morrison showed the alleged victim’s “nude or partially nude body” to another male midshipman as well as an ensign who had played football at the Naval Academy.

Morrison faces a fifth charge under Article 134 of the UCMJ with three specifications alleging additional sexual misconduct.

An Article 32 hearing resembles a civilian grand jury or preliminary hearing. Based on the evidence presented, the convening authority, in this case Vice Adm. Rodney Rempt, Academy superintendent, decides whether to proceed with a court-martial.

According to the Naval Academy, Morrison has been living at the Anacostia Naval Station in Washington D.C. and reporting for duty at the Washington Navy Yard.

Ellie