SAN DIEGO — The San Diego sailor charged with setting the devastating fire on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard was arraigned Thursday in a Navy courtroom just 1,000 feet from where the 844-foot warship burned over four days in July 2020.
Seaman Recruit Ryan Sawyer Mays, 20, a former deck seaman on the ship, is charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel. He denies the charges.
While the sailor has been arraigned and his general court-martial is officially underway, it will be months before the trial begins as prosecutors and defense attorneys each requested start dates no sooner than August.
