Gitmo commander fired after alleged affair, suspicious death

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The commanding officer at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was fired following an alleged affair with a woman whose husband was recently found dead.

Capt. John "J.R." Nettleton, who has been in charge since 2012, was reassigned to Jacksonville, Fla., "due to loss of confidence in (his) ability to command," the Navy said in a written statement. As base commander, Nettleton had no role in running the Guantanamo prison camp, which is a tenant at the naval station.

The Navy declined to give further details, citing an ongoing Naval Criminal Investigative Services investigation. The Miami Herald reported the NCIS is looking into the death of Christopher Tur, 42, a commissary worker who was found dead in the Guantanamo Bay on Jan. 11. CNN reported Tur's death may be suicide, but the investigation is ongoing.

During the investigation, officials found that Nettleton may have been having an affair with Tur's wife Lara, the director of the Fleet and Family Services Center at the base. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, adultery violates military law.