Assault Charges at Fort Bliss, 2024–2026: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences

Trends › By Installation › Fort Bliss › Article 128, 2024–2026

Based on 18 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Accused Pleaded Guilty

Of the 18 cases, 15 were guilty pleas and 3 were not-guilty or mixed pleas. A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 17% is lower than the 29% for all Army Article 128 cases in 2024–2026.

All 15 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records state whether an agreement existed but not its terms.

Confinement After Conviction

Every one of the 18 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Confinement was part of 13 of those sentences (72%). The median confinement was 5 months, compared with 6 months across the Army.

A quarter of the confinement sentences were 4.5 years or longer. These figures are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.

Punitive Discharges and Dismissal

Of 17 convicted enlisted members, 11 received a punitive discharge: 5 bad-conduct discharges and 6 dishonorable discharges. That is 65%, lower than the 72% for Army Article 128 cases overall. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed, which is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Assault Was Often the Only Charge

Article 128 was the only charge in 10 of the 18 cases. Other cases added Article 128b (domestic violence) in 2, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2, Article 122 (robbery) in 2, Article 112a (drug) in 1, and Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving) in 1. When assault is charged with domestic violence or a sexual offense, the assault count can describe part of the same incident.

Rank, Forum, and Court Level

Junior enlisted members made up 72% of the accused, compared with 55% in Army Article 128 cases overall. NCOs were 22% and officers 6%.

A military judge alone decided guilt in 16 of 18 cases (89%). Enlisted panels heard the other 2. General courts-martial, which can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, heard 13 of the 17 cases with a court level listed (76%). The court level is not listed for 1 case. Special courts-martial heard the rest.

Cases by Year

The cases ran from January 2024 to September 2026: 9 in 2024, 3 in 2025, and 6 in 2026. The 2026 figure covers only part of the year. Assault charges appeared in 21% of the 84 courts-martial at Fort Bliss in this period.

Rules That Changed in These Years

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault and domestic violence. Assault under Article 128 is not a covered offense, but special trial counsel can also take a related assault. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023.

Both rules depend on the offense date. The records give only trial dates, so these years mix cases tried under the old and new rules. The records also do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations.

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.