Midshipman Convicted In Drug Probe

A military panel on Thursday convicted a 22-year-old Naval Academy midshipman accused of possessing LSD, concluding the first of an expected six courts martial stemming from a criminal drug investigation.

Midshipman First Class Jason A. Harloff, of Fairport, N.Y., was convicted of possession, use and transfer of LSD. He pled guilty as part of a pre-trial agreement that will enable Navy prosecutors to use him as a witness in related cases, according to a Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Harloff’s sentencing by a military judge is scheduled for Jan. 17. The maximum punishment is 50 years in confinement. At the least, he will be forced out of the academy. He also could be fined.

Capt. Thomas Jurkowsky, an academy spokesman, said five midshipmen in addition to Harloff are expected to face courts martial, and 18 others will face administrative, non-criminal hearings that could result in their expulsion from the academy.