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# Little Rock AFB, Arkansas Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 14 Cases Show
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/little-rock-afb-arkansas-courts-martial-2020-2023/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:03:01.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:03:01.000Z
- Description: Little Rock AFB, Arkansas had 14 Air Force courts-martial from October 2020 to June 2023, 1% of the 1,015 Air Force cases in those years. Drug offenses (Article 112a) were charged in 64% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 37% across the Air Force.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, Air Force

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Little Rock AFB, Arkansas](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-little-rock-afb-arkansas/) › 2020–2023

**Short answer:** Little Rock AFB, Arkansas had 14 Air Force courts-martial from October 2020 to June 2023, 1% of the 1,015 Air Force cases in those years. Drug offenses (Article 112a) were charged in 64% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 37% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 2 months, and 3 of 10 convicted enlisted members (30%) received a punitive discharge.

Based on 14 cases · 2020–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Drug Offenses Were the Most Common Charge

Charges are listed for 11 of the 14 cases. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) was charged in 7 of them (64%), compared with 37% in all Air Force cases in those years.

Article 134 (the general article) was charged in 3 cases (27%), compared with 20%. Article 128 (assault) and Article 121 (larceny) were each charged in 2 cases (18%). The larceny share across the Air Force was 3%. A case with several articles is counted under each one.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                                  | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances            | 7     | 64%        | 37%                             |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                                      | 3     | 27%        | 20%                             |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                              | 2     | 18%        | 21%                             |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                              | 2     | 18%        | 3%                              |
| [Art. 115](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-115/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 1     | 9%         | 4%                              |
| Art. 129 Burglary before 2019, burglary and unlawful entry since                                                                                              | 1     | 9%         | 1%                              |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                                   | 1     | 9%         | 6%                              |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation                    | 1     | 9%         | 17%                             |

## Confinement

Of 11 convictions, 8 included confinement. The median confinement was 2 months, shorter than the 4 months for all Air Force cases in those years. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2.3 years or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

## Fewer Punitive Discharges

Of 10 convicted enlisted members, 3 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (30%), compared with 56% Air Force-wide. Only 1 was a dishonorable discharge. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Pleas, Verdicts, and Forum

The records show 7 contested cases and 7 guilty pleas, a contested share of 50%. That is the same as the 50% across the Air Force. Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal.

Members heard 43% of the cases with the forum listed: 4 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. A military judge alone heard the other 8.

## Rank and Court Level

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 64% of the accused, NCOs 29%, and officers 7%. Across the Air Force, junior enlisted were 63%. General courts-martial made up 29% of the cases (4 of 14), and special courts-martial made up the rest.

## Compared With 2016–2018

In 2016–2018 the installation had 10 cases, about 3 a year, compared with about 4 a year from 2020 on. The median confinement went from 4 months to 2 months. A punitive discharge followed 4 of 9 enlisted convictions in the earlier period and 30% in the later one. Small groups can change with a few cases.

|                               | 2016–2018 | 2020–2023 |
| ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                         | 10        | 14        |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | —         | 50%       |
| Convictions with confinement  | 9 of 9    | 73%       |
| Median confinement            | 4 months  | 2 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 4 of 9    | 30%       |
| General courts-martial        | 30%       | 29%       |

## Similar Installations

JBSA-Lackland, Texas and Travis AFB, California each tried 20 cases in these years. Travis had the same median confinement, 2 months, and Lackland had 4 months. The punitive discharge rate was 67% at Lackland and 54% at Travis.

| Installation              | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Little Rock AFB, Arkansas | 14    | 50%       | 3 of 7                              | 2 months           | 30%                           |
| JBSA - Lackland, Texas    | 20    | 56%       | 8 of 10                             | 4 months           | 67%                           |
| Travis AFB, California    | 20    | 42%       | 5 of 8                              | 2 months           | 54%                           |

## Years and Limits

There was 1 case in 2020, 5 in 2021, 5 in 2022, and 3 in 2023\. The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial, and Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals.

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 in the data tried at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas with a trial date in 2020–2023 (14 cases), compared with all 1,015 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.

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

- [Little Rock AFB, Arkansas: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-little-rock-afb-arkansas/) (hub)
- [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Inside 14 Courts-Martial at MacDill AFB, Florida, 2020–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/macdill-afb-florida-courts-martial-2020-2023/) (same years, similar size)
- [Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/andersen-afb-guam-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/barksdale-afb-louisiana-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 29 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/davis-monthan-afb-arizona-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 35 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/davis-monthan-afb-arizona-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, 2020–2023

- [Jefferson B. Brown](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jefferson-b-brown/)
- [Elizabeth M. Hernandez](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-elizabeth-m-hernandez/)
- [Christopher D. James](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-christopher-d-james/)
- [Andrew R. Norton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrew-r-norton/)
- [Bradley J. Palmer](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-bradley-j-palmer/)
- [Sterling C. Pendleton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-sterling-c-pendleton/)
- [Dayle P. Percle](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-dayle-p-percle/)
- [Julie L. Pitvorec](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-julie-l-pitvorec/)
- [Mark F. Rosenow](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mark-f-rosenow/)
- [Thomas A. Smith](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-thomas-a-smith/)
- [Charles G. Warren](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-charles-g-warren/)

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.