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# A Year of Courts-Martial at Holloman AFB, New Mexico: 2017
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/holloman-afb-new-mexico-courts-martial-2017/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:12:18.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:12:18.000Z
- Description: Holloman AFB, New Mexico tried 20 courts-martial from February 2017 to December 2017. Article 112a (drug offenses) was charged in 95% of cases, compared with 52% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Holloman AFB, New Mexico, Air Force

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Holloman AFB, New Mexico](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-holloman-afb-new-mexico/) › 2017

**Short answer:** Holloman AFB, New Mexico tried 20 courts-martial from February 2017 to December 2017\. Article 112a (drug offenses) was charged in 95% of cases, compared with 52% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force.

Based on 20 cases · 2017 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Drug Charges in Almost Every Case

The charge lists cover 19 of the 20 cases, and a case with several articles is counted under each. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) appeared in 18 of those cases (95%). Across the Air Force, the share was 52%.

Few other articles appear. Article 128 (assault) and Article 80 (attempts) each appeared in 1 case (5%).

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | -------------------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 18    | 95%        | 52%                              |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 1     | 5%         | 11%                              |
| [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts                                    | 1     | 5%         | 1%                               |

## Short Confinement Terms

Confinement was part of 79% of the 19 convictions. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force. Among sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 4 months or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

## Special Courts-Martial and Junior Enlisted Accused

Only 2 of the 20 cases were general courts-martial (10%), compared with 45% across the Air Force. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

Of the accused, 18 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4) and 2 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), with no officers. Across the Air Force, 61% of the accused were junior enlisted.

## Punitive Discharges

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge for enlisted members. Of 19 convicted enlisted members, 10 received one (53%), and 1 of those was dishonorable. That is about the same as the 51% across the Air Force.

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

## 1 Full Acquittal

1 of the 20 cases ended in a full acquittal, with the accused found not guilty of every charge (5%). Across the Air Force, the share was 21%.

Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list the plea when the accused pleaded guilty. This rate therefore uses all cases as the base, not only contested cases.

## Officer Panels and Military Judges

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 14 cases. Officer panels heard 6, and no case went to an enlisted panel. Members heard 30% of cases, compared with 42% across the Air Force.

## Before the Military Justice Act of 2016

These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. That law later set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and brought in written plea agreements. None of those rules applied to these cases.

## What the Records Do Not Show

Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements.

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 Holloman AFB, New Mexico with a trial date in 2017 (20 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

- [Holloman AFB, New Mexico: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-holloman-afb-new-mexico/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [What Was Tried at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, 2016–2018? 34 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/holloman-afb-new-mexico-courts-martial-2016-2018/) (the whole period)
- [What JBSA - Lackland, Texas Tried in 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/jbsa-lackland-texas-courts-martial-2018/)
- [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: 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2017/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2018/)
- [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)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, 2017

- [John C. Degnan](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-john-c-degnan/)
- [Ryan A. Hendricks](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-ryan-a-hendricks/)
- [Joseph S. Imburgia](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-joseph-s-imburgia/)
- [James E. Key III](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-james-e-key-iii/)
- [Jennifer E. Powell](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jennifer-e-powell/)
- [Natalie D. Richardson](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-natalie-d-richardson/)
- [Mark F. Rosenow](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mark-f-rosenow/)
- [Shelly W. Schools](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-shelly-w-schools/)
- [Brian D. Teter](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-brian-d-teter/)
- [Brendon K. Tukey](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-brendon-k-tukey/)
- [Tiffany J. Williams](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-tiffany-j-williams/)

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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](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.