F/A-18 Pilot Charged with DWI, Now Relieved of Command

By Alicia Cruz
The New Jersey Newsroom

Marine Colonel Douglas Arden Denn, arrested Monday night for drunk driving, has been relieved of his duties by the order of Major General Carl Jensen "due to a loss of confidence in Denn's ability to command," said Major Bradley Gordon, a spokesman for Marine Corps Installations East at Camp Lejeune.

Gordon added that Denn's relief sparked a "command investigation" into his arrest, which "eroded good order and discipline."

Denn, a native of Jamestown, New york, had been the commanding officer of the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina since August 2009. Around 11 p.m. Monday, Newport police stopped Denn for speeding in Carteret County.

Newport Police officer Justin Ferrell said he conducted a field sobriety test on The F/A-18 pilot after observing his "slurred speech and glassy eyes." From there, Ferrell administered two breathalyzer tests, WCTI TV 12 reported.

The breathalyzer test indicated Denn's blood-alcohol level was .14. to .15 (in North Carolina, a driver with a blood-alcohol level of .08 is considered impaired) and at that time, officer Ferrell arrested the 47-year-old married father of two and charged him with driving while impaired, civil revocation of driver's license, speeding for driving 67 mph in a 55-mph zone and having an open container of alcohol or consuming alcohol in the passenger area of his car.

Denn held a South Carolina driver's license, which was revoked as a result of the arrest.

Sue Piller with Craven County Mothers Against Drunk Driving told The News Leader that she plans follow Denn's case through the courts. "He's a Colonel and I'm sure he worked long and hard to get where he is and he's suppose to be an example," said Piller.

The "command investigation" will help Major General Jensen determine whether Denn's actions violated the Militarys Uniformed Code of Military Justice and requires any further action to be taken against the career Marine, such as an Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a civilian Grand Jury.

The "command investigation" is separate from the criminal charges Denn's facing in Carteret County and may simply result in administrative punishment or no further punishment at all, according to Gordon.

Col. Denn is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. In 1984, he was commissioned via the NROTC program where he was trained as a naval aviator before reporting to NAS Jacksonville, Fla in June, 1989 to train on the F/A-18. He earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in 1988 and attended the Navy's "Top Gun" Fighter Weapons School and the National Defense University's Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C., The Associated Press reported.

He has accumulated 3,500 flight hours during multiple deployments, such as missions to Japan and aboard the USS Iwo Jima in operations to the Adriatic Sea and over the former Yugoslavia.

The well decorated Marine is the recipient of the Navy Commendation medal with three gold stars, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a gold star. Denn is scheduled to appear in court on December 15 at 9 a.m. in Beaufort, NC.

Colonel Robert D. Clinton has assumed command at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point as of Thursday morning.

SEE PDF OF COL. DENN COURT DOCUMENTS BELOW