08:41 AM CDT on Monday, May 8, 2006

Associated Press

 ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Naval Academy is preparing to prosecute a midshipman accused of indecent assault with a rarely used form of court-martial that doesn't seek jail time but might make it easier to win a conviction.

Senior and former football player Kenny Ray Morrison will face a special court-martial in July, The (Baltimore) Sun reported in Sunday's editions.

If found guilty, offenders are not imprisoned, but they would have a federal conviction on their record.

Without releasing Morrison's name, the academy announced last week that he and former quarterback Lamar Owens will be court-martialed in connection with separate incidents. Morrison's attorney confirmed his identity to The Sun.

Owens, accused of raping a female midshipman in her dorm room in January, faces a general court-martial -- the most serious form of military trial. Owens' lawyer has predicted that his client will be cleared by a military court.

Morrison, a native of Kingwood, Texas, is accused of trying to pressure a drunken female midshipman into sex Feb. 4 at a Washington, D.C., hotel, according to charging documents. He's charged with indecent assault, indecent acts and conduct unbecoming an officer.

"We are going to trial, and we expect that he will be exonerated of all charges," said William Ferris, Morrison's attorney.

An academy spokeswoman declined to discuss why Vice Adm. Rodney Rempt, the academy superintendent, chose a special court-martial in Morrison's case, noting in a written statement that he made the decision "after carefully considering all the available evidence."

Charles Gittins, a civilian lawyer who has represented defendants accused of sexual misconduct in special courts-martial, said the academy uses them to prosecute weak cases.

Delilah Rumberg, who sat on a Defense Department panel investigating sexual harassment and violence at the nation's service academies, said special courts-martial were similar to plea bargains in civilian court.

"I think it shows great progress for them to take a close look at every case and try to find a way to hold offenders accountable," she said.