> ## 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. # Drug Charges at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2016–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/jb-elmendorf-richardson-alaska-article-112a-2016-2018/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:05:30.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:23.000Z - Description: JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska tried 17 Air Force courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug offenses) from 2016 to 2018. 11 of the 17 were general courts-martial (65%), compared with 16% in Air Force Article 112a cases overall. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Article 112a, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-jb-elmendorf-richardson-alaska/) › Article 112a, 2016–2018 **Short answer:** JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska tried 17 Air Force courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug offenses) from 2016 to 2018\. 11 of the 17 were general courts-martial (65%), compared with 16% in Air Force Article 112a cases overall. 13 of 17 convicted enlisted members received a bad-conduct discharge, and the Air Force-wide share of punitive discharges was 45%. Based on 17 cases · 2016–2018 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## General Courts-Martial at 65% Most drug cases in the Air Force were tried at special courts-martial in these years. At this base, 11 of 17 were general courts-martial (65%). Across Air Force Article 112a cases, the general share was 16%. 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 can impose a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable discharge. ## Bad-Conduct Discharges in 13 Cases 13 of the 17 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge. All 13 were bad-conduct discharges, and 0 were dishonorable. In Air Force-wide Article 112a cases, the share with a punitive discharge was 45%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. The records do not track those separations. ## Median Confinement of 6 Months All 17 cases ended in a conviction, and 15 sentences included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, longer than the 3 months for Air Force Article 112a cases overall. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 7 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case. ## Drug Charges With and Without Other Articles Article 112a was the only charge in 9 of the 17 cases. Across the Air Force, it stood alone in 279 of 381 cases. Article 134 (general article) appeared with it in 6 cases here. Article 107 (false official statement) and Article 92 (orders violation) each appeared in 3\. Article 121 (larceny) and Article 86 (AWOL) each appeared in 2. ## Who Decided Guilt A military judge alone decided 12 cases. Members heard the other 29% of cases with the forum listed: 1 enlisted panel and 4 officer panels. The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel of members. ## Junior Enlisted Accused Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 88% of the accused and NCOs 12%. No officers appear. Across Air Force-wide Article 112a cases, junior enlisted members were 80%. ## Timing, Rules, and Gaps The cases run from March 2016 to June 2018: 7 in 2016, 6 in 2017, and 4 in 2018\. They were 65% of the 26 courts-martial at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska in 2016–2018. All of these trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so this group has no plea breakdown. The records also omit the evidence and do not cover nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 112a on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Courts-martial tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska in 2016–2018 that charged Article 112a (17 cases), compared with every Air Force case charging Article 112a in those years. 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 - [JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-jb-elmendorf-richardson-alaska/) (hub) - [Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Inside 26 Courts-Martial at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2016–2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/jb-elmendorf-richardson-alaska-courts-martial-2016-2018/) - [What Was Tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2019–2023? 15 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/jb-elmendorf-richardson-alaska-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [What Was Tried at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2024–2026? 12 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/jb-elmendorf-richardson-alaska-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-trend-2016-2025/) - [10 Drug Courts-Martial at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, 2016–2018: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/whiteman-afb-missouri-article-112a-2016-2018/) - [Article 112a Cases at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: 25 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/davis-monthan-afb-arizona-article-112a-2016-2018/) - [Article 112a Cases at Dyess AFB, Texas, 2019–2022: 21 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/dyess-afb-texas-article-112a-2019-2022/) - [S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military](https://www.bodiesburied.com/s3e52-what-you-need-to-know-about-positive-uas-in-the-military/) (podcast, members) - [Article 112a explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 112a Cases at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2016–2018 - [John C. Degnan](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-john-c-degnan/) - [Patricia A. Gruen](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-patricia-a-gruen/) - [Scott E. Harding](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-scott-e-harding/) - [Michael A. Lewis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-michael-a-lewis/) - [Lyndell M. Powell](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-lyndell-m-powell/) - [Natalie D. Richardson](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-natalie-d-richardson/) - [Mark F. Rosenow](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mark-f-rosenow/) - [Vance H. Spath](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-vance-h-spath/) - [Matthew P. Stoffel](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-p-stoffel/) - [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. **Compare: federal court.** [Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-no-crime-of-drug-use-article-112a/) · [Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/) **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.