( CNN ) -- The Navy has halted discharge proceedings against a sailor who was found asleep in the same bed with another male sailor , according to a announcement Friday by Servicemembers United , the nation 's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans . Petty Officer Stephen Jones , who is stationed at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston , South Carolina , has said that the Navy 's effort to discharge him for `` unprofessional conduct '' was a trumped-up charge based on the command 's suspicion that he might be gay . Jones also said the nonjudicial punishment for unprofessional conduct was a maneuver around the `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' repeal that President Obama signed into law in December . When contacted by CNN , Navy officials did n't have an immediate comment . Alexander Nicholson , executive director of Servicemembers United , said the Navy `` undoubtedly did the right thing in reversing its decision , '' made in March , to discharge Jones , who dozed off beside another male sailor while watching television on February 5 . In a recent interview with CNN , Jones , a student at the Nuclear Power Training Command , said another male sailor stopped by that night and they both inadvertently fell asleep on Jones ' bed while they watched the CW TV show `` Vampire Diaries . '' `` We strongly suspected that his command was trying to find a roundabout way to discharge Jones because it suspected him of being gay , and we simply were not willing to stand by and watch a new version of 'do n't ask , do n't tell ' emerge under the new label of 'unprofessional conduct , ' `` Nicholson said in a statement . Jones hired civilian attorney Gary Myers , a former JAG officer who is one of the most experienced civilian military defense attorneys in the country , to fight his discharge , and Servicemembers United worked closely with Jones and Myers to help publicize the case and persuade Navy leaders to retain Jones , according to the Servicemembers United statement . In the CNN interview , Jones , 21 , said the other sailor had `` come over to watch shows in the past . '' His roommate walked in around midnight , Jones said . `` My roommate walked in and it woke me up , '' Jones said . He then woke up his friend , Navy Petty Officer Bryan McGee , who , according to Jones , immediately left the room . The Navy had sought to discharge Jones under charges of `` willful failure to exhibit professional conduct , '' Myers told CNN in a recent interview . `` It is a violation of the Command Instruction for sailors to act unprofessionally in the barracks . It is considered unprofessional conduct to share the same bed in Navy barracks , '' Thomas Dougan , a spokesman for the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command , said in an interview published in March . The Navy has denied the separation proceedings are based on the suspicion of homosexual behavior . `` Naval Nuclear Power Training Command is not administratively processing either of these sailors for separation based on sexual orientation , '' Dougan said . Jones , who says nothing sexual happened , said that they were both clothed -- him in pajama pants and a white T-shirt and McGee in boxers -- and that they were not under the covers together . Jones was lying above the covers , while McGee was below them . The play-by-play given by Jones is substantiated by the naval investigating documents , although a different account of the amount of clothing worn was given by Jones ' roommate , who said in his naval statement that both sailors were dressed only in their boxers . Jones ' roommate , who was made uncomfortable by what he saw , moved out of the room a day later and reported the incident to command officials , Myers said . An investigation was launched , ending with the Command attempting to punish Jones and McGee by a captain 's mast , a nonjudicial procedure meant to avoid a court martial . McGee , who declined to comment on the case , accepted the mast and punishment , but Jones refused , moving the Navy to begin proceedings to discharge him . Punishment by captain 's mast could have resulted in loss of rank or forfeiture of pay , or it could have jeopardized Jones ' top secret security clearance , Myers said . `` I 'm not pleading guilty to something that I did n't do . I did not commit a crime , '' Jones said in a recent interview . `` I am the type of person that takes responsibility for my actions . If I break a rule , I take my punishment . And I know I did not break any rules . '' Jones said he wants to become a nuclear operator on an aircraft carrier or a submarine . CNN 's Adam Levine and Michael Martinez contributed to this report .
Petty Officer Stephen Jones dozed off beside another male sailor while watching TV . The Navy had sought to discharge him for `` unprofessional conduct '' A gay troops advocacy group calls charge an end run around `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' repeal .