US Navy Sailor charged with negligent homicide following patrol boat incident in Virginia

YORKTOWN, Va. — A U.S. Navy sailor has been charged in the death of a fellow service member in Virginia after officials said the sailor operated a military patrol boat in a negligent manner, the Navy announced Monday.

The Navy said in a news release that it's not releasing the sailor's name until the charges have been referred to a court-martial. The sailor who died was Lyndon Joel Cosgriff-Flax.

The accused sailor faces charges that include negligent homicide, making a false official statement and dereliction of duty. The sailor was assigned to a harbor patrol unit at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, near the York River and about a 35-mile (56-kilometer) drive from the nation's largest naval base in Norfolk.

The incident occurred on the York River in late April, according to charging documents. The charge sheet provided few details. It accuses the sailor of “operating a harbor safety boat in a negligent manner” and falsely claiming that Cosgriff-Flax had fallen overboard.