> ## 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. # Did Drug Cases at McConnell AFB, Kansas Change After 2024? - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/mcconnell-afb-kansas-article-112a-before-after-2024/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:03:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:34.000Z - Description: McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 12 Article 112a (drug) cases in 2024–2026, 57% of all its courts-martial. 30% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, lower than the 48% Air Force-wide and the 55% at the base in 2019–2023. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, McConnell AFB, Kansas, Article 112a, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [McConnell AFB, Kansas](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-mcconnell-afb-kansas/) › Article 112a **Short answer:** McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 12 Article 112a (drug) cases in 2024–2026, 57% of all its courts-martial. 30% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, lower than the 48% Air Force-wide and the 55% at the base in 2019–2023\. The median confinement was 2 months, the same as in Air Force drug cases overall. Based on 12 cases · 2024–2026 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Fewer Punitive Discharges Among 10 enlisted members convicted, 3 received a punitive discharge (30%). All 3 were bad-conduct discharges, with no dishonorable discharges. In Air Force Article 112a cases in 2024–2026, the share was 48%. At McConnell in 2019–2023, it was 55%. 1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears here, and that officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Confinement 91% of the convictions included confinement, compared with 100% in 2019–2023\. The median confinement was 2 months, the same as in all Air Force Article 112a cases in 2024–2026 and lower than the 3 months at the base in 2019–2023\. A quarter of the confinement terms were 10 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. | | 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | | ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 12 | 12 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 5 | 20% | | Convictions with confinement | 100% | 91% | | Median confinement | 3 months | 2 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 55% | 30% | | General courts-martial | 17% | 17% | ## Pleas and Forum 10 of the 12 records list the plea. 8 were guilty pleas and 2 were contested, meaning a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 20%, compared with 29% in Air Force Article 112a cases overall. A military judge alone decided guilt in 10 of the 12 cases with the forum listed (83%). Members heard 2 cases, both with enlisted panels. ## Rank of the Accused Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 83% of the accused, NCOs 8%, and officers 8%. Across Air Force Article 112a cases, junior enlisted members were 65%. 2 of the 12 cases (17%) were tried at a general court-martial, compared with 18% Air Force-wide. The share at the base was also 17% in 2019–2023\. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## Drug Charges Alone Only 3 of the 12 cases charged another article as well. Article 107 (false official statement), Article 90 (disobeying an officer), and Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 1 each. ## Case Count and Law Changes The cases were tried from April 2024 to June 2026: 8 in 2024, 2 in 2025, and 2 in 2026, a partial year. They were 57% of the 21 courts-martial at McConnell AFB, Kansas in 2024–2026\. In 2019–2023 the base had 12 such cases, about 3 a year, compared with about 5 a year since. For offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so these trials mix cases under old and new rules. ## What the Records Do Not Include Air Force records rarely list the charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not in these records. 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 McConnell AFB, Kansas that charged Article 112a (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2019–2023 (12) and 2024–2026 (12). Comparisons use every Air Force case charging Article 112a in 2024–2026. 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 - [McConnell AFB, Kansas: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-mcconnell-afb-kansas/) (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) - [McConnell AFB, Kansas Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 18 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/mcconnell-afb-kansas-courts-martial-2016-2018/) (the whole docket) - [McConnell AFB, Kansas Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 24 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/mcconnell-afb-kansas-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (the whole docket) - [McConnell AFB, Kansas, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 21 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/mcconnell-afb-kansas-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (the whole docket) - [Did Drug Cases at Nellis AFB, Nevada Change After 2019?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/nellis-afb-nevada-article-112a-before-after-2019/) (same offense, another installation) - [Did Drug Cases at Dyess AFB, Texas Change After 2019?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/dyess-afb-texas-article-112a-before-after-2019/) (same offense, another installation) - [Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-trend-2016-2025/) - [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) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 112a Cases at McConnell AFB, Kansas, 2024–2026 - [Nathan Rick Allred](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-nathan-rick-allred/) - [Tiny L. Bowman](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-tiny-l-bowman/) - [Wesley A. Braun](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-wesley-a-braun/) - [Bradley J. Palmer](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-bradley-j-palmer/) - [Lance R. Smith](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-lance-r-smith/) - [Thomas A. Smith](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-thomas-a-smith/) - [Jamie Stewart](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jamie-stewart/) 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.