Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
Most of the 27 courts-martial at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota in 2019–2023 involved junior enlisted members, drug charges, and short confinement. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 57% of cases with charges listed, compared with 41% Air Force-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Most of the 27 courts-martial at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota in 2019–2023 involved junior enlisted members, drug charges, and short confinement. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 57% of cases with charges listed, compared with 41% Air Force-wide. The median confinement was 3 months, close to the 4 months across the Air Force, and 71% of convictions carried confinement under 6 months.
Drug Cases Made Up the Largest Group
Charge lists exist for 21 of the 27 cases. Article 112a, the article for wrongful use and possession of controlled substances, was charged in 12 of the 21 (57%). Across the Air Force the share was 41%.
Article 134, the general article, followed with 3 cases (14%), lower than the 21% Air Force-wide. Article 92, Article 113, and Article 120b each appeared in 2 cases (10%). Article 113 covered misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019 and drunken or reckless driving since. Article 120b covers rape and sexual assault of a child.
Article 118 (murder), Article 111, and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared once. Article 111 covered drunken or reckless driving before 2019 and leaving the scene of an accident since.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 12 | 57% | 41% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 14% | 21% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 10% | 16% |
| Art. 113 Misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019, drunken or reckless driving since | 2 | 10% | 4% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 10% | 7% |
| Art. 118 Murder | 1 | 5% | 0% |
| Art. 111 Drunken or reckless driving before 2019, leaving the scene of an accident since | 1 | 5% | 1% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 5% | 6% |
Most Sentences Were Under 6 Months
Of 21 convictions, 20 included confinement (95%). In 2016–2018, 75% of convictions at Ellsworth included confinement. The median term was 3 months in 2019–2023 and 4 months in 2016–2018.
Confinement under 6 months made up 15 of the 21 convictions (71%), compared with 50% Air Force-wide. Sentences longer than one year were less common than in the Air Force as a whole: 4 of 21 (19%), compared with 23%. Of those 4, 2 were 5 years or more.
A quarter of the terms with confinement were 11 months or longer. These are sentences as adjudged at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 1 | 5% | 12% |
| Under 6 months | 15 | 71% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 1 | 5% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 10% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 10% | 6% |
Pleas and Full Acquittals
The plea is recorded in 13 of the 27 records: 8 guilty pleas and 5 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 38%, lower than the 50% across the Air Force.
Full acquittals, a finding of not guilty on all charges, ended 6 of the 27 cases (22%). The Air Force rate was 24%. Since Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 seldom record guilty pleas, the rate is measured against all cases. Among contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 of 5 ended in a full acquittal.
Punitive Discharges in 9 of 20 Enlisted Convictions
A bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge was adjudged for 9 of 20 convicted enlisted members (45%): 6 bad-conduct and 3 dishonorable. In 2016–2018 the share at Ellsworth was 42%. Across the Air Force in 2019–2023 it was 56%.
1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears in the records and was dismissed. Members without a punitive discharge may still be separated administratively.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 15 | 27 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 38% |
| Convictions with confinement | 75% | 95% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 42% | 45% |
| General courts-martial | 33% | 30% |
A Junior Group Tried Mostly at Special Courts-Martial
The accused were 20 junior enlisted members, 6 NCOs, and 1 officer, a more junior mix than the Air Force as a whole. General courts-martial heard 8 of the 27 cases (30%), compared with 53% Air Force-wide and 33% at Ellsworth in 2016–2018.
A special court-martial can impose up to one year of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge, but not a dishonorable discharge.
Military Judges Decided 18 of 27 Cases
A military judge alone decided guilt in 18 of 27 cases (67%). Members decided 9: 3 enlisted panels and 6 officer panels. In most courts-martial the accused chooses between a judge alone and a panel.
Cases by Year and Similar Bases
The 27 cases ran from January 2019 to August 2023: 13 in 2019, 5 in 2020, 5 in 2021, 3 in 2022, and 1 in 2023. Ellsworth had 15 cases in 2016–2018. On a full-year basis, both periods average about 5 cases a year. With groups this size, a few cases can shift a percentage a long way.
Beale AFB, California and Holloman AFB, New Mexico each tried 28 cases in these years. Both had the same 3 months median confinement as Ellsworth. Their punitive discharge rates were 55% and 43%. Holloman had a contested share of 36%, close to the 38% at Ellsworth, while 5 of 9 recorded pleas at Beale were contested.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota | 27 | 38% | 4 of 5 | 3 months | 45% |
| Beale AFB, California | 28 | 5 of 9 | 3 of 5 | 3 months | 55% |
| Holloman AFB, New Mexico | 28 | 36% | 5 of 8 | 3 months | 43% |
What These Records Leave Out
The records cover only cases that reached a courtroom. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases with no action are not included. The evidence and the plea terms are not described, and Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals or report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota in 2016–2018 (15) and 2019–2023 (27).
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases
- Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases
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- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, 2019–2023
- Jefferson B. Brown
- Steven J. Grocki
- Elizabeth M. Hernandez
- Christopher D. James
- Christina M. Jimenez
- Shad R. Kidd
- Richard D. Mink
- Bradley A. Morris
- Bradley J. Palmer
- Sterling C. Pendleton
- Jennifer J. Raab
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Thomas A. Smith
- Charles G. Warren
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 membership.
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.