Assault Charges at Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences

Trends › By Installation › Bremerton, Washington › Article 128, 2013–2018

Based on 64 cases · 2013–2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most of the Accused Pleaded Guilty

The plea is listed in 63 of the 64 records: 50 guilty pleas and 13 contested cases. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share, 21%, is lower than the 43% across the Navy and Marine Corps.

Contested cases ended in a full acquittal at about the same rate as elsewhere. Of 13 with a verdict, 6 ended in a full acquittal (46%), about the same as the 48% service-wide. 1 other case ended in a partial acquittal (8%): not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another.

As Many NCOs as Junior Enlisted Members

The accused were 31 junior enlisted members, 31 NCOs, and 2 officers. This group is more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2013–2018.

The court levels were also close to even. General courts-martial heard 31 of the 64 cases (48%). A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. Special courts-martial heard 33 cases. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The court level sets the maximum sentence.

Sentences at Each Court Level

At the 31 general courts-martial, the median confinement was 2 years, and 35% of cases were contested. At the 33 special courts-martial, the median confinement was 4 months, and 6% of cases were contested.

Overall, 53 of the 58 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 8 months in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of the sentences were 2 years or longer.

Sentences by Length

Short terms were more common here. Terms under 6 months followed 45% of convictions, compared with 34% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Terms of more than 1 year but under 5 years were less common (16% compared with 19%). So were terms from 6 months to 1 year (17% compared with 23%). Terms of 5 years or more were about the same (14% compared with 13%).

Sentences of more than 1 year followed 17 of 58 convictions (29%), compared with 33%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

Sexual Assault Charges in Many Cases

Article 128 was the only charge in 28 of the 64 cases. When another charge was included, the most common was Article 120 (sexual assault), in 19 cases. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) was charged in 6, Article 115 (malingering) in 5, Article 112a (drug offenses) in 4, and Article 86 (AWOL) in 3.

An assault charge filed with a sexual assault or domestic violence charge can cover part of the same incident. The sentence covers every conviction in the case.

Discharges After Conviction

A punitive discharge followed 52% of enlisted convictions: 18 bad-conduct discharges and 11 dishonorable discharges. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 63%.

The records list 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Plea Records

Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often leave out the plea. At Bremerton, only 1 of the 64 assault records has no plea. So the plea and contested figures here cover almost the whole group.

Cases by Year and the Rules in Force

The 64 cases were tried from July 2013 through October 2018. There were 5 cases in 2013, 18 in 2014, 15 in 2015, 9 in 2016, 12 in 2017, and 5 in 2018. They made up 29% of the 221 courts-martial at Bremerton in those years.

All were tried before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. That law brought fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial capped at 6 months, and written plea agreements.

What These Records Leave Out

Assaults resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in the data. The records do not describe the injuries, the evidence, or the plea terms. They give trial dates, not offense dates. They also cannot show how many assault allegations at Bremerton never led to charges.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025

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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.