> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Article 128 Cases at Bremerton, Washington, 2019–2023: 31 Courts-Martial - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-article-128-2019-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:51:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:47:41.000Z - Description: Of 21 enlisted members convicted in Article 128 (assault) cases at Bremerton, Washington in 2019–2023, only 4 received a punitive discharge (19%), compared with 61% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months service-wide. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Bremerton, Washington, Article 128, 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 128, 2019–2023 **Short answer:** Of 21 enlisted members convicted in Article 128 (assault) cases at Bremerton, Washington in 2019–2023, only 4 received a punitive discharge (19%), compared with 61% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months service-wide. Of cases with a recorded plea, 50% were contested, and 8 of 15 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Based on 31 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Few Punitive Discharges The largest difference from the rest of the service is in discharges. A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. At Bremerton, 4 of 21 convicted enlisted members received one: 2 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. The Navy and Marine Corps share for Article 128 was 61%. The records list 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge can still be followed by an administrative separation. These records do not include administrative separations. ## Short Terms, and Many Sentences Without Confinement Of 23 convictions, 16 included confinement. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2019–2023\. A quarter of the terms were 6 months or more. No confinement was part of 7 convictions (30%), compared with 14% service-wide. Terms under 6 months made up another 48%. Only 2 of 23 convictions included more than 1 year (9%), compared with 24%. These are adjudged sentences, as imposed 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-wide Article 128 cases | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 7 | 30% | 14% | | Under 6 months | 11 | 48% | 35% | | 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 13% | 27% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 9% | 19% | | 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 5% | ## More Contested Cases and More Full Acquittals A contested case is one in which the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 30 records that list a plea, 15 were guilty pleas and 15 were contested. The contested share was 50%, compared with 40% service-wide. Of the 15 contested cases that reached a verdict, 8 ended in a full acquittal (53%). None ended in a partial acquittal, where the accused is found not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. The full-acquittal rate was higher than the 49% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases. ## General and Special Courts-Martial Bremerton tried 14 of these cases at general courts-martial and 17 at special courts-martial. The general court-martial share, 45%, was slightly lower than the 52% service-wide. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 6 months, and 77% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median confinement was 2 months, and 29% of cases were contested. ## A More Senior Group NCOs (E-5 to E-9) made up 58% of the accused, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) 32%, and officers 10%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members were 63% of Article 128 accused. So the Bremerton group was much more senior. Rank affects how to read the discharge figures. An officer cannot receive a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. The officer equivalent is a dismissal. So the 19% figure describes the 21 enlisted members only, and the 2 officers are counted separately. ## Assault and Sexual Assault Charged Together Of the 31 cases, 16 charged at least one article besides Article 128\. Article 120 (sexual assault) was the most common, in 11 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) was charged in 3\. Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure), Article 134 (general article), and Article 80 (attempt) were charged in 2 each. When assault is charged with sexual assault or domestic violence, the assault charge can describe part of the same incident. The sentence covers the whole case. ## Fewer Cases in Later Years The cases were tried from February 2019 to March 2023\. There were 10 cases in 2019, 8 in 2020, 10 in 2021, 2 in 2022, and 1 in 2023\. Assault was charged in 20% of the 153 courts-martial at Bremerton in these years. Most of the cases were tried from 2019 through 2021\. The counts for 2022 and 2023 are very small. ## What the Records Do Not Show The records show trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence, the terms of any plea agreement, or cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often leave out the plea, so plea counts use only the records that list one. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 128 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?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 2019–2023 that charged Article 128 (31 cases), compared with every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 128 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 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-128-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/) - [Assault Charges at Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-article-128-2013-2018/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-trend-2017-2025/) - [Article 128 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 128 Cases at Bremerton, Washington, 2019–2023 - [Matthew Brower](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-brower/) - [Kimberly Kelly](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-kimberly-kelly/) - [Lawrence Lee](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-lawrence-lee/) - [Ann Minami](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-ann-minami/) Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the [Court-Martial Characters](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) membership. **Compare: federal court.** [Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-article-128/) **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.