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# A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2018/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:54:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:25:58.000Z
- Description: Bremerton, Washington held 28 courts-martial in 2018, and all 28 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 42% of cases, compared with 26% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Bremerton, Washington, 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/) › 2018

**Short answer:** Bremerton, Washington held 28 courts-martial in 2018, and all 28 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 42% of cases, compared with 26% across the Navy and Marine Corps. 46% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 66% across the service.

Based on 28 cases · 2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Every Case Ended in a Conviction

All 28 cases in the 2018 records ended in a conviction on at least one charge. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. None of the 5 contested cases ended in a full acquittal (0 of 5). In 2017, 3 of 5 contested cases at Bremerton ended in a full acquittal.

The other 23 cases were guilty pleas. The contested share was 18%, lower than the 28% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018\. Navy and Marine Corps records from before December 2020 often omit the plea, so counts like these use only the records that include it.

## Drug and Orders Charges Were More Common

Charge lists exist for 26 of the 28 cases. A case with several articles is counted under each one. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 11 cases (42%), compared with 26% across the service. Article 92, which covers failure to obey an order or regulation, appeared in 19% of cases, compared with 13%.

Assault under Article 128 was charged less often than in the rest of the service, at 19% compared with 34%. Article 134 (the general article) was also less common, at 8% compared with 15%. Article 120c (other sexual misconduct) appeared in 8%, compared with 4%. False official statements under Article 107 appeared in 15% of cases, compared with 11%. Conspiracy under Article 81 appeared in 12%, compared with 9%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 11    | 42%        | 26%                                           |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 5     | 19%        | 13%                                           |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 5     | 19%        | 34%                                           |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 4     | 15%        | 11%                                           |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy                                                                                                                                 | 3     | 12%        | 9%                                            |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 2     | 8%         | 10%                                           |
| [Art. 120c](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120c/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Other sexual misconduct                 | 2     | 8%         | 4%                                            |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 2     | 8%         | 15%                                           |

## Fewer Punitive Discharges Than the Rest of the Service

Of 28 convicted enlisted members, 13 received a punitive discharge. All 13 were bad-conduct discharges, and 0 were dishonorable. The 46% share was the same as in 2017 at Bremerton. It was lower than the 66% across the Navy and Marine Corps.

A punitive discharge is the most serious form of separation a court-martial can order for an enlisted member. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.

## Length of Confinement

Confinement was part of 26 of the 28 sentences (93%). The median confinement was 6 months, shorter than the 7 months for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer. These figures are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

Sentences under 6 months made up 46% of convictions here, compared with 32% across the service. Confinement longer than one year was part of 5 of 28 convictions (18%), compared with 30%. No sentence reached 5 years. Only 2 convictions had no confinement.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 2           | 7%         | 15%                                                   |
| Under 6 months                  | 13          | 46%        | 32%                                                   |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 8           | 29%        | 23%                                                   |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5           | 18%        | 20%                                                   |
| 5 years or more                 | 0           | 0%         | 9%                                                    |

## Court Levels and Rank

General courts-martial made up 8 of the 28 cases (29%), compared with 45% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year and can impose a bad-conduct discharge at most.

By rank, the accused were 19 junior enlisted members and 9 NCOs, with 0 officers. The group was more junior than the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole.

## From 2017 to 2018

Bremerton tried 50 cases in 2017 and 28 in 2018\. The contested share went from 11% to 18%. The median confinement went from 5 months to 6 months. Convictions with confinement went from 98% to 93%. The general court-martial share went from 30% to 29%.

In small groups like this one, a few cases can move each figure. These changes show direction, not precise size.

|                                     | 2017     | 2018     |
| ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------- |
| Cases                               | 50       | 28       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 11%      | 18%      |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 5   | 0 of 5   |
| Convictions with confinement        | 98%      | 93%      |
| Median confinement                  | 5 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 46%      | 46%      |
| General courts-martial              | 30%      | 29%      |

## Compared With Quantico and San Diego

Quantico, Virginia (21 cases) and San Diego, California (36 cases) tried a similar number of cases in 2018\. Both had longer median confinement than Bremerton: 11 months at Quantico and 8 months at San Diego. Both had higher punitive discharge shares for enlisted members, at 56% and 63%. San Diego's contested share was 26%. At San Diego, 7 of 9 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Bremerton had a median confinement of 6 months and a punitive discharge share of 46%.

| Installation          | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| --------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Bremerton, Washington | 28    | 18%       | 0 of 5                              | 6 months           | 46%                           |
| Quantico, Virginia    | 21    | 0 of 1    | —                                   | 11 months          | 56%                           |
| San Diego, California | 36    | 26%       | 7 of 9                              | 8 months           | 63%                           |

## Before the 2019 Rules, and What Is Missing

These trials took place in the last year before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. That law later set fixed panel sizes, added judge-alone special courts-martial, and introduced written plea agreements.

The records list trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence or the terms of any plea agreement. They also do not show conduct handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial tried at Bremerton, Washington with a trial date in 2018 (28 cases).

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)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2017/) (previous / next)
- [What Bremerton, Washington Tried in 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2019/) (previous / next)
- [Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 221 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2013-2018/) (the whole period)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2015/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2020/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2021/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2017/)Next: [What Bremerton, Washington Tried in 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2019/) →

**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.