How Fort Stewart Handled Sexual Assault Cases (Article 120), 2021–2023

Trends › By Installation › Fort Stewart › Article 120, 2021–2023

Based on 22 cases · 2021–2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Fewer Full Acquittals Than Army-Wide

Of 14 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge. That is 29%, lower than 42% across all Army Article 120 cases in 2021–2023.

Another 9 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal: the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common in Army data. A partial acquittal still includes a conviction and a sentence.

Long Confinement After Conviction

83% of the 18 convictions included confinement. The median was 2 years, compared with 1.8 years in the rest of the Army. A quarter of those sentences were 7 years or longer.

These figures are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case, including any assault or kidnapping charge filed with the sexual assault charge.

Terms that long are possible only at a general court-martial, which can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year. It can impose a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable discharge. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone. In that form, confinement is capped at six months, with no punitive discharge.

Most Punitive Discharges Were Dishonorable

Among 16 enlisted members convicted, 13 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (81%), about the same as the Army as a whole (80%). Of those 13, 11 were dishonorable discharges, the most severe discharge for an enlisted member.

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

Most Cases Were Contested

Of the 22 accused, 8 pleaded guilty and 14 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 64%, lower than 71% in the Army as a whole. Most cases here were still contested.

In a contested case, the government must prove each charge at trial, and the result can be anything from a full acquittal to a conviction on every charge. Of the 14 contested cases at Fort Stewart, 4 ended in a full acquittal and 9 in a partial acquittal.

Who Heard the Cases

A military judge alone decided 14 cases, enlisted panels 7, and an officer panel 1. Members heard 36% of the cases, compared with 48% in all Army Article 120 cases in 2021–2023. Among the 14 contested cases, members heard 8 (57%).

The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or a panel decides guilt. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the split mostly follows the contested share.

Other Charges in the Same Cases

Of the 22 cases, 13 charged at least one other article. The most common were Article 128 (assault) in 6 cases and Article 134 (general article) in 4. Article 107 (false official statement), Article 128b (domestic violence), and Article 125 (kidnapping) were each charged in 2 cases.

The records do not divide sentences by charge. They cannot show how much of a sentence was for each offense.

Rank of the Accused

By rank, the accused were 15 junior enlisted members, 4 NCOs, and 3 officers, a group more junior than Army-wide Article 120 cases.

For convicted officers and warrant officers, the punitive separation is dismissal, not a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Of the 2 convicted here, neither was dismissed. Administrative action could still follow.

Timeline and Legal Setting

From January 2021 to May 2023, the data has 22 cases: 7 in 2021, 9 in 2022, and 6 in 2023. Sexual assault was charged in 34% of the 64 courts-martial at Fort Stewart in those years.

Article 120 is a covered offense. The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020, and this data has few Army records before 2021.

Limits of the Data

The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which version of the rules applied to each case. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they do not show allegations handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial

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.