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# How Bremerton, Washington Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2013–2018
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-article-112a-2013-2018/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:33:53.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:48:03.000Z
- Description: Bremerton, Washington tried 71 courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug offenses) from 2013–2018, and almost all ended in a guilty plea. The median adjudged confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Bremerton, Washington, Article 112a, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Bremerton, Washington](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-bremerton-washington/) › Article 112a, 2013–2018

**Short answer:** Bremerton, Washington tried 71 courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug offenses) from 2013–2018, and almost all ended in a guilty plea. The median adjudged confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. A punitive discharge followed 56% of enlisted convictions, compared with 73% service-wide.

Based on 71 cases · 2013–2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Drug Cases Were a Large Share of Bremerton Cases

The 71 Article 112a cases were 32% of all 221 courts-martial tried at Bremerton in 2013–2018.

There was 1 case in 2013, 8 in 2014, and 6 in 2015\. There were 19 cases in 2016 and 26 in 2017, the highest count. There were 11 cases in 2018\. The cases were tried from March 2013 through November 2018.

## Almost Every Accused Pleaded Guilty

The plea is listed in 70 of the 71 records: 68 guilty pleas and 2 contested cases. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share, 3%, was lower than the 11% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases.

All 71 cases ended in a conviction, including the contested cases. Navy and Marine Corps records from before December 2020 often leave out the plea, so the plea counts use only the records that list one.

## Shorter Sentences Than Elsewhere

Of the 71 convictions, 68 included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases in 2013–2018\. A quarter of the sentences were 8 months or longer.

Terms under 6 months followed 68% of convictions here, compared with 50% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Sentences of more than 1 year were less common: 5 of 71 convictions (7%), compared with 17% service-wide. Terms of 5 years or more made up 1% here, compared with 3%. Terms from 6 months to 1 year made up 21% here, compared with 29%. Terms of more than 1 year but under 5 years made up 6%, compared with 14%. No confinement was part of 4% of convictions in both groups.

These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases overall |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 3           | 4%         | 4%                                                      |
| Under 6 months                  | 48          | 68%        | 50%                                                     |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 15          | 21%        | 29%                                                     |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4           | 6%         | 14%                                                     |
| 5 years or more                 | 1           | 1%         | 3%                                                      |

## Fewer Punitive Discharges

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member. Of 71 enlisted members convicted at Bremerton, 40 received a punitive discharge (56%). That is less often than in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases (73%). Only 1 of the 40 was a dishonorable discharge.

No officers or warrant officers were in this group. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. Administrative separations are not in these records.

## Special Courts-Martial Heard Most Cases

Only 9 of the 71 cases were general courts-martial (13%), compared with 21% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases. The rest were special courts-martial.

The court level sets the maximum punishment. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and can impose a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable discharge. Only a general court-martial can impose more than 1 year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. All of these trials took place before 2019\. Judge-alone special courts-martial, capped at 6 months with no punitive discharge, did not yet exist.

## Conspiracy and Absence Charges With Drug Charges

Of the 71 cases, 50 charged at least one other article. Article 86 (AWOL) and Article 81 (conspiracy) were each charged in 15 cases. Article 107 (false official statement) was charged in 11, Article 92 (orders violation) in 10, and Article 82 (solicitation) in 7.

A sentence covers every charge in the case. So the confinement and discharge figures include these other charges.

## Most of the Accused Were Junior Sailors

The accused were 62 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 9 NCOs (E-5 to E-9). There were 0 officers or warrant officers. This group is more junior than all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases, where 78% of the accused were junior enlisted.

## Before the 2019 Changes

Every trial here took place before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. That law set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at 6 months with no punitive discharge, and brought in written plea agreements. Cases with offenses before 2019 stayed under the old rules.

## What the Records Do Not Show

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the substance involved, the evidence, or the plea terms. Drug use handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation is not in this data.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 112a on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Courts-martial tried at Bremerton, Washington in 2013–2018 that charged Article 112a (71 cases), compared with every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 112a in those years.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Bremerton, Washington: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-bremerton-washington/) (hub)
- [Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 221 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2013-2018/)
- [Bremerton, Washington, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 153 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Bremerton, Washington Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 52 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2024-2026/)
- [Did Drug Cases at Bremerton, Washington Change After 2019?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-article-112a-before-after-2019/)
- [Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-trend-2017-2025/)
- [S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military](https://www.bodiesburied.com/s3e52-what-you-need-to-know-about-positive-uas-in-the-military/) (podcast, members)
- [Article 112a explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

**Compare: federal court.** [Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-no-crime-of-drug-use-article-112a/) · [Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/)

**About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.