Little Rock AFB, Arkansas Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 14 Cases Show
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.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › 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.
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 Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 7 | 64% | 37% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 27% | 20% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 18% | 21% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 18% | 3% |
| Art. 115 Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 1 | 9% | 4% |
| Art. 129 Burglary before 2019, burglary and unlawful entry since | 1 | 9% | 1% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 1 | 9% | 6% |
| Art. 92 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.
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, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Little Rock AFB, Arkansas: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 14 Courts-Martial at MacDill AFB, Florida, 2020–2023 (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
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 35 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, 2020–2023
- Jefferson B. Brown
- Elizabeth M. Hernandez
- Christopher D. James
- Andrew R. Norton
- Bradley J. Palmer
- Sterling C. Pendleton
- Dayle P. Percle
- Julie L. Pitvorec
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Thomas A. Smith
- 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 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.