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# Luke AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 14 Cases
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/luke-afb-arizona-courts-martial-2016-2018/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:03:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:03:02.000Z
- Description: Luke AFB, Arizona had 14 Air Force courts-martial from December 2016 to October 2018, 1% of the 991 Air Force cases in those years. Drug offenses (Article 112a) were charged in 9 of the 10 cases with charges listed (90%), compared with 48% across the Air Force.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Luke AFB, Arizona, Air Force

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Luke AFB, Arizona](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-luke-afb-arizona/) › 2016–2018

**Short answer:** Luke AFB, Arizona had 14 Air Force courts-martial from December 2016 to October 2018, 1% of the 991 Air Force cases in those years. Drug offenses (Article 112a) were charged in 9 of the 10 cases with charges listed (90%), compared with 48% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 3 months, close to the 4 months Air Force median.

Based on 14 cases · 2016–2018 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Nearly Every Listed Case Involved Drugs

Charges are listed for 10 of the 14 cases. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) appears in 9 of them (90%). In all Air Force cases in those years, the share was 48%.

Only 2 other articles appear: Article 83 (fraudulent enlistment) and Article 128 (assault), each in 1 case. A case with several articles is counted under each one.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 9     | 90%        | 48%                                       |
| Art. 83 Fraudulent enlistment                                                                                                                      | 1     | 10%        | 1%                                        |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 1     | 10%        | 11%                                       |

## Mostly Junior Enlisted Accused

The accused were 12 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 1 NCO (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. That mix is more junior than the Air Force as a whole, where 63% were junior enlisted.

Only 3 of the 14 cases were general courts-martial (21%), compared with 47% across the Air Force. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

## Sentences

Of the 14 cases, 10 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 7 of those sentences included confinement (70%). The median confinement was 3 months. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

A punitive discharge followed 40% of enlisted convictions, all 4 of them bad-conduct discharges. No dishonorable discharge was adjudged. In the rest of the Air Force, 55% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Full Acquittals and Panels

Of the 14 cases, 4 ended in a full acquittal (29%), compared with 20% Air Force-wide. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list guilty pleas, so this rate is measured against all cases.

Members heard 57% of the cases, compared with 45% in the rest of the Air Force. There were 2 enlisted panels and 6 officer panels, and a military judge alone heard 6 cases. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.

## Similar Installations

Hill AFB, Utah and Moody AFB, Georgia each tried 20 cases in the same years. Both had a longer median confinement: 6 months at Hill and 4 months at Moody. Both also had a higher punitive discharge rate, 53% and 67%.

| Installation       | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ------------------ | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Luke AFB, Arizona  | 14    | —         | —                                   | 3 months           | 40%                           |
| Hill AFB, Utah     | 20    | —         | —                                   | 6 months           | 53%                           |
| Moody AFB, Georgia | 20    | —         | —                                   | 4 months           | 67%                           |

## Years and Limits

There was 1 case in 2016, 9 in 2017, and 4 in 2018\. All were tried before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019.

The records cover only cases that reached a courtroom. They do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation, and they do not describe the evidence or plea terms. 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 Luke AFB, Arizona with a trial date in 2016–2018 (14 cases), compared with all 991 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

- [Luke AFB, Arizona: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-luke-afb-arizona/) (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 16 Courts-Martial at Luke AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/luke-afb-arizona-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (another period)
- [Inside 14 Courts-Martial at MacDill AFB, Florida, 2016–2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/macdill-afb-florida-courts-martial-2016-2018/) (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/) (same years, similar size)
- [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/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

Next: [Inside 16 Courts-Martial at Luke AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/luke-afb-arizona-courts-martial-2019-2023/) →

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Luke AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018

- [John C. Degnan](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-john-c-degnan/)
- [Joseph S. Imburgia](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-joseph-s-imburgia/)
- [Jennifer E. Powell](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jennifer-e-powell/)
- [Mark F. Rosenow](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mark-f-rosenow/)
- [Shelly W. Schools](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-shelly-w-schools/)
- [Christopher M. Schumann](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-christopher-m-schumann/)
- [Brendon K. Tukey](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-brendon-k-tukey/)

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.