Marines recommend officer be forced out
Maj. David Cheek is accused of exposing himself to civilian women
WASHINGTON – A Marine tribunal has recommended that an officer accused of exposing himself to civilian women subordinates be forced to retire after 27 years of service, the Marine Corps said in a statement Saturday.
A board of three colonels late Friday sent their recommendation to the secretary of the Navy for the “involuntary retirement” of Maj. David Cheek. Two civilian women accused Cheek of calling them to his empty office on five occasions and showing them, while clothed, that he had an erection. Cheek denies the allegations.
The colonels’ recommendation was based on Cheek’s “substandard performance of duty,” according to the Marine Corps. The panel, which took sworn testimony from Cheek, the women and other witnesses, based its recommendation on Cheek’s “failure to properly discharge duties expected of officers of his grade” and his failure to conform to standards of “military comportment.”
“The board did not substantiate any specific allegations of misconduct,” said Lt. Col. Stuart Fugler, a Marine Corps spokesman. “However, they found his overall performance below what is expected from an officer in the Marine Corps.”
The board recommended that Cheek, who had been scheduled for promotion to lieutenant colonel, be allowed to retire as a major. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer will have the final say.
The incidents date to 2013, but the women did not immediately report them. The women said they feared retri- bution from Cheek and others. Earlier this year, they spoke with USA TODAY and provided documentation of complaints they had filed. They maintained that the Marine Corps had failed to take them seriously.
Cheek’s attorney, Brian Magee, said Saturday that Cheek would review his options to appeal the board’s decision.
“The fact that they chose to recommend retirement in grade was a shock,” Magee said.