> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Hurlburt Field, Florida Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/hurlburt-field-florida-before-after-2019/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:34:08.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:10.000Z
- Description: 79% of Hurlburt Field, Florida cases with a recorded plea were contested in 2019–2023, compared with 50% across the Air Force. The median confinement after conviction was 2 months, compared with 4 months Air Force-wide.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Hurlburt Field, Florida, Air Force

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Hurlburt Field, Florida](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-hurlburt-field-florida/) › Before and after 2019

**Short answer:** 79% of Hurlburt Field, Florida cases with a recorded plea were contested in 2019–2023, compared with 50% across the Air Force. The median confinement after conviction was 2 months, compared with 4 months Air Force-wide. 39% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 56%.

Based on 29 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Most Cases Were Contested

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 19 Hurlburt records that list a plea, 15 were not-guilty or mixed pleas and only 4 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 79%, higher than 50% for all Air Force cases in the same years.

Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 seldom list a guilty plea, so there is no contested share for 2016–2018.

## Members Heard 48% of Cases

A military judge alone decided 15 cases, enlisted panels decided 6, and officer panels decided 8\. Members heard 48% of cases, compared with 38% across the Air Force. Among contested cases, members heard 11 of 15 (73%).

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.

## How Contested Cases Ended

Of the 15 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (47%). Across all Air Force cases in those years the rate was 51%. Another 2 cases ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal shows only when an appeals opinion reports it. The partial-acquittal count may therefore be incomplete.

## Short Sentences After Conviction

70% of the 20 convictions included confinement, compared with 45% in 2016–2018\. The median was 2 months. It was 4 months in the earlier period and 4 months elsewhere in the Air Force. A quarter of those sentences were 6 months or longer.

30% of convictions included no confinement, compared with 12% Air Force-wide. Only 1 of 20 convictions (5%) included more than one year, compared with 23% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 6 months at general courts-martial and 40 days at special courts-martial. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 6           | 30%        | 12%                             |
| Under 6 months                  | 9           | 45%        | 50%                             |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 4           | 20%        | 15%                             |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 1           | 5%         | 17%                             |
| 5 years or more                 | 0           | 0%         | 6%                              |

## Fewer Punitive Discharges Than the Air Force

39% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge: 5 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. The Air Force rate was 56%. In 2016–2018, 4 of 8 convicted enlisted members at Hurlburt received one.

Neither of the 2 convicted officers or warrant officers was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Orders Violations More Common Than Drug Charges

Charges are listed in 20 of the 29 records. Air Force records seldom list charges in full acquittals. Article 92 (orders violations) was charged in 35% of those cases, compared with 16% Air Force-wide. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 30%, compared with 21%. Article 90 (disobeying a superior commissioned officer) was charged in 10%, compared with 2%.

Drug charges were less common than elsewhere. Article 112a was charged in 20% of Hurlburt cases, compared with 41% across the Air Force.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                                  | Cases | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation                    | 7     | 35%        | 16%                                       |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                                      | 6     | 30%        | 21%                                       |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances            | 4     | 20%        | 41%                                       |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                              | 3     | 15%        | 19%                                       |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                              | 2     | 10%        | 4%                                        |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                                       | 2     | 10%        | 11%                                       |
| [Art. 90](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-90/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Willfully disobeying superior officer                  | 2     | 10%        | 2%                                        |
| [Art. 115](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-115/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 2     | 10%        | 4%                                        |

## Court Level and Rank

General courts-martial made up 91% of Hurlburt cases in 2016–2018 and 59% in 2019–2023 (17 of 29), compared with 53% Air Force-wide. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

By rank, the accused were 14 junior enlisted members, 12 NCOs, and 3 officers. The group is more senior than all Air Force cases in those years. The number of cases per year was about the same: 22 cases in 2016–2018, about 7 a year, and 29 in 2019–2023, about 6 a year counting full years only.

|                               | 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 |
| ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                         | 22        | 29        |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | —         | 79%       |
| Convictions with confinement  | 45%       | 70%       |
| Median confinement            | 4 months  | 2 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 4 of 8    | 39%       |
| General courts-martial        | 91%       | 59%       |

## Next to Its Peers

Cannon AFB, New Mexico and Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona each tried 29 cases in the same years. Cannon had a higher contested share, 84%. Davis-Monthan's was 56%. Both had higher median confinement than Hurlburt: 1.2 years and 6 months. Both also had higher punitive discharge rates: 69% and 59%.

| Installation               | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| -------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Hurlburt Field, Florida    | 29    | 79%       | 7 of 15                             | 2 months           | 39%                           |
| Cannon AFB, New Mexico     | 29    | 84%       | 9 of 16                             | 1.2 years          | 69%                           |
| Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona | 29    | 56%       | 5 of 9                              | 6 months           | 59%                           |

## Limits of the Record

Only cases that reached a courtroom are here. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and Air Force records do not report plea agreements. There were 10 cases in 2019, 4 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 7 in 2022, and 4 in 2023.

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 Hurlburt Field, Florida in 2016–2018 (22) and 2019–2023 (29).

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

- [Hurlburt Field, Florida: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-hurlburt-field-florida/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Inside 29 Courts-Martial at Hurlburt Field, Florida, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/hurlburt-field-florida-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Hurlburt Field, Florida, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 10 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/hurlburt-field-florida-courts-martial-2024-2026/)
- [Hurlburt Field, Florida Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/hurlburt-field-florida-before-after-2024/)
- [Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/andersen-afb-guam-before-after-2019/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2019/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2024/)
- [Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/davis-monthan-afb-arizona-before-after-2019/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Hurlburt Field, Florida, 2019–2023

- [William J. Annexstad](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-william-j-annexstad/)
- [Wesley A. Braun](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-wesley-a-braun/)
- [Elijah F. Brown](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-elijah-f-brown/)
- [W. Shane Cohen](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-w-shane-cohen/)
- [Bryon T. Gleisner](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-bryon-t-gleisner/)
- [Matthew N. McCall](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-n-mccall/)
- [Eric Merriam](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-eric-merriam/)
- [Mark W. Milam](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mark-w-milam/)
- [J. Wesley Moore](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-j-wesley-moore/)
- [Andrew R. Norton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrew-r-norton/)
- [Dayle P. Percle](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-dayle-p-percle/)
- [Joshua D. Rosen](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-joshua-d-rosen/)
- [Michael A. Schrama](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-michael-a-schrama/)
- [Shaun S. Speranza](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-shaun-s-speranza/)
- [Pilar G. Wennrich](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-pilar-g-wennrich/)

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.