Fort Huachuca, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 23 Cases
Fort Huachuca tried 23 courts-martial from December 2020 to November 2023, Drug offenses (Article 112a) were the most common charge, in 55% of cases with charges listed, compared with 11% across the Army.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Fort Huachuca › 2020–2023
Short answer: Fort Huachuca tried 23 courts-martial from December 2020 to November 2023, Drug offenses (Article 112a) were the most common charge, in 55% of cases with charges listed, compared with 11% across the Army. All 22 convictions included confinement, with a median of 6 months, the same as the Army median. 52% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge, compared with 73% Army-wide.
Drug Charges in Over Half the Cases
Of the 22 cases whose records list charges, 12 included Article 112a, the wrongful use or possession of controlled substances. That is 55%, compared with 11% across all Army cases in the same years. A case can appear under several articles, so the shares overlap.
Other charges were also more common here than across the Army. Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer) was charged in 23% of cases, compared with 7%. Article 80 (attempts) was charged in 18%, compared with 8%. Article 131b (obstructing justice) was charged in 14%, compared with 4%. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 23%, about the same as the Army's 22%.
Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) was charged in 3 cases (14%, compared with 8%). Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle) was charged in 2 cases (9%, compared with 3%). Article 114 (endangerment offenses) was also charged in 2 cases (9%, compared with 1%).
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Army |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 12 | 55% | 11% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 5 | 23% | 7% |
| Art. 134 General article | 5 | 23% | 22% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 4 | 18% | 8% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 14% | 8% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 3 | 14% | 4% |
| Art. 113 Misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019, drunken or reckless driving since | 2 | 9% | 3% |
| Art. 114 Dueling before 2019, endangerment since | 2 | 9% | 1% |
Confinement in Every Conviction
All 22 convictions included confinement. Across the Army, 17% of convictions included none. The median here was 6 months, the same as the Army median. A quarter of sentences were 1 year or longer.
11 convictions (50%) included under 6 months, compared with 39% Army-wide. 6 (27%) included 6 months to under 1 year, compared with 14%. Sentences of 1 year or more were less common. 4 convictions (18%) included 1 year to under 5 years, compared with 22%. 1 (5%) included 5 years or more, compared with 8%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Army-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 0 | 0% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 11 | 50% | 39% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 27% | 17% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 18% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 5% | 8% |
How Fort Huachuca Compares With Similar Posts
Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston (22 cases) and Fort McNair (21) tried a similar number of Army cases in these years. Fort Huachuca had the lowest contested share of the 3, at 26%, compared with 41% and 29%.
It also had the lowest punitive discharge rate, 52%, compared with 92% at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston and 80% at Fort McNair. The median confinement here was 6 months. It was 3 months at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston and 1 year at Fort McNair.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Huachuca | 23 | 26% | 0 of 6 | 6 months | 52% |
| Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston | 22 | 41% | 6 of 9 | 3 months | 92% |
| Fort McNair | 21 | 29% | 1 of 4 | 1 year | 80% |
Pleas, Agreements, and Verdicts
Of the 23 accused, 17 pleaded guilty and 6 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 26%, compared with 35% across the Army. A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.
None of the 6 contested cases ended in a full acquittal. Plea agreements are recorded for 12 of the 17 guilty pleas, and 5 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it said.
Discharges Less Common Than Army-Wide
Among 21 enlisted members convicted, 11 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (52%), compared with 73% Army-wide. Of those, 3 were dishonorable. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.
General and Special Courts-Martial
Fort Huachuca tried 11 general and 12 special courts-martial. The general share, 48%, is lower than the 75% across the Army. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Every conviction at both levels included confinement. The median confinement was 8 months at general courts-martial and 2 months at special courts-martial.
No Panels, and Mostly Junior Enlisted Accused
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided all 23 cases. Members heard 0% of them, compared with 21% across the Army.
The accused were 18 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 4 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. In the rest of the Army, 57% were junior enlisted.
Small Numbers and Missing Detail
Army trial records became public under Article 140a in December 2020, so 2020 has 1 case, compared with 8 in 2021, 9 in 2022, and 5 in 2023. The 23 cases are 1% of the 1,581 Army courts-martial in those years. A single case can change any percentage here. The records leave out the evidence, the plea terms, and anything handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Fort Huachuca with a trial date in 2020–2023 (23 cases), compared with all 1,581 Army trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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
- Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Fort McNair Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 21 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Inside 19 Courts-Martial at Fort Irwin, 2020–2023 (same years, similar size)
- Camp Humphreys, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 69 Cases
- Fort Bliss, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 102 Cases
- Fort Bragg Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 143 Cases Show
- Fort Carson, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 45 Cases
- Fort Drum, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 72 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Huachuca, 2020–2023
- Larry A. Babin Jr.
- Joseph R. Distaso
- Jacqueline L. Emanuel
- Robert A. Fellrath
- Matthew S. Fitzgerald
- Michael C. Friess
- Maureen A. Kohn
- Michael E. Korte
- Robert L. Shuck
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.