What Was Tried at JB Lewis-McChord, Washington, 2019–2023? 21 Courts-Martial
The Air Force records hold 21 courts-martial at JB Lewis-McChord, Washington from 2019 to 2023, most of them in 2019. Drug charges under Article 112a and orders violations under Article 92 were the most common charges. 4 of the 21 cases ended in a full acquittal (19%).
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB Lewis-McChord, Washington › 2019–2023
Short answer: The Air Force records hold 21 courts-martial at JB Lewis-McChord, Washington from 2019 to 2023, most of them in 2019. Drug charges under Article 112a and orders violations under Article 92 were the most common charges. 4 of the 21 cases ended in a full acquittal (19%). 11 of 16 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.
Most Cases Were Tried in 2019
These 21 cases are the Air Force side of a joint base, tried from February 2019 through May 2023. The yearly counts were 11 in 2019, 3 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 2 in 2022, and 3 in 2023. Altogether, they are 2% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in those years.
In a group this small, a single case can change a percentage by several points. The comparisons below show direction, not precise rates.
Drug and Orders Charges Were the Most Common
Of the 21 records, 17 list the charges. Article 112a, covering wrongful use and possession of controlled substances, was charged in 8 of those cases (47%), compared with 41% across the Air Force. Article 92, failure to obey an order or regulation, was charged in 5 (29%), compared with 16%.
Other articles were charged in only 1 to 3 cases each. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 18% of cases, about the same as the 21% across the Air Force. Assault under Article 128 was charged in 12%, lower than the 19% elsewhere. Article 113 (misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019 and drunken or reckless driving since) and Article 86, absence without leave, were each charged in 12% of cases, compared with 4% and 5% across the Air Force. Each article counts once per case, so a case with several charges appears in several rows.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 47% | 41% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 5 | 29% | 16% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 18% | 21% |
| Art. 113 Misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019, drunken or reckless driving since | 2 | 12% | 4% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 2 | 12% | 5% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 12% | 19% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 12% | 11% |
| Art. 112 Drunk on duty before 2019, drunkenness on duty since | 1 | 6% | 1% |
How Many Cases Ended in Full Acquittal?
4 of the 21 cases ended in a full acquittal (19%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. The other 17 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge.
This rate is measured against all cases, not only contested ones. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list the plea when the accused pleaded guilty, and here only 10 of the 21 records list a plea at all, so a full-acquittal rate for contested cases would be based on incomplete data.
Confinement Was About the Same as Across the Air Force
Confinement was part of 94% of the 17 convictions. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as across the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, the ones announced at trial. They come before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
Punitive Discharges After Conviction
Of 16 convicted enlisted members, 11 received a punitive discharge: 8 bad-conduct and 3 dishonorable. Across the Air Force, the share was 56%.
A punitive discharge means a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member, or a dismissal for an officer. 1 officer or warrant officer was convicted, and none was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Special Courts-Martial Outnumbered General Ones
There were 8 general and 13 special courts-martial. General courts-martial were 38% of cases, lower than the 53% across the Air Force.
The court level sets the maximum sentence. 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. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, with confinement capped at six months and no punitive discharge.
Judges, Panels, and Rank
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone heard 16 cases, an enlisted panel 4, and an officer panel 1. Members heard 24% of cases, compared with 38% across the Air Force.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 71% of the accused, compared with 64% in the rest of the Air Force. NCOs made up 24%, and officers 5%.
Compared With FE Warren and JB Andrews
FE Warren AFB, Wyoming and JB Andrews, Maryland each tried 21 Air Force cases in the same years. All 3 installations had the same median confinement: 4 months.
Punitive discharges for enlisted members were 69% at JB Lewis-McChord, 64% at FE Warren, and 50% at JB Andrews.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JB Lewis-McChord, Washington | 21 | 80% | 4 of 8 | 4 months | 69% |
| FE Warren AFB, Wyoming | 21 | 44% | 5 of 7 | 4 months | 64% |
| JB Andrews, Maryland | 21 | 50% | 5 of 7 | 4 months | 50% |
What the Records Do Not Show
Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show evidence, plea terms, or conduct handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative action. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements, and the records carry trial dates rather than offense dates.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at JB Lewis-McChord, Washington with a trial date in 2019–2023 (21 cases), compared with all 1,361 Air Force 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
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- What Was Tried at FE Warren AFB, Wyoming, 2019–2023? 21 Courts-Martial (same years, similar size)
- JB Andrews, Maryland, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 21 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 29 Cases Show
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at JB Lewis-McChord, Washington, 2019–2023
- William J. Annexstad
- Elijah F. Brown
- John C. Degnan
- Colin P. Eichenberger
- Bryon T. Gleisner
- Michael W. Grant
- Christina M. Jimenez
- James E. Key III
- Brian C. Mason
- Andrew R. Norton
- Jennifer E. Powell
- Christopher M. Schumann
- Matthew P. Stoffel
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.