After Firefly Music Festival arrest, midshipmen kicked out of Naval Academy

Josephine Peterson | The News Journal

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A 23-year-old Navy midshipman arrested last month on charges that he sold ecstasy to an undercover officer at the Firefly Music Festival was charged this week by the U.S. Naval Academy with additional crimes and has been kicked out of the academy.

Zachary Williams of Canal Fulton, Ohio, and a friend were in the Firefly campground when an undercover Dover police officer spotted him snorting cocaine, according to court documents obtained by The News Journal.

The undercover officer bought three bags of ecstasy from Williams, who then offered the officer a hit of cocaine, records show.

After the two men were arrested, officers searched their vehicles and found 33 grams of ecstasy, 4.6 grams of cocaine, 1.1 grams of marijuana and a digital scale, according to a police report.

Williams and Edward Hartmann, also of Ohio, were charged with possession with intent to deliver ecstasy, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, second-degree conspiracy and possession of marijuana. They were released on $142,000 bail.

On Tuesday, the Naval Academy announced charges based on an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that began in November.

Among the six, the academy's charges included uniform violations, failure to obey general regulation, possession of illegal substances, possession of illegal substances with intent to distribute and use of illegal substances. Some of the charges stemmed from the Dover arrest.

As a result of the Navy investigation, six midshipmen have been kicked out of the academy for using illegal substances, said Cmdr. David McKinney, of the United States Naval Academy. Another five midshipmen were administratively disciplined for drug-related violations. The illicit drugs involved were cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and hallucinogenic mushrooms.

“The United States Navy and the Naval Academy both have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to the use of illegal substances and take all allegations of misconduct seriously," McKinney said.

The academy announced in April that every midshipman will now be drug tested at least three times a year at times unknown to students.

This story includes information from the Associated Press.

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Contact Josephine Peterson at (302) 324-2856, jhpeterson@delawareonline.com, or Twitter at @jopeterson93.