Peterson SFB, Colorado, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 21 Cases

Trends › By Installation › Peterson SFB, Colorado › 2019–2023

Based on 21 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

More Contested Cases Than Across the Air Force

Of the 13 Peterson SFB records that list a plea, 8 were contested and 5 were guilty pleas. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, with a not-guilty plea or a mixed plea.

That contested share of 62% is higher than the 50% in all Air Force cases for the same years. The number of cases is small, and not every record shows a plea. A few cases could change that figure by several points.

How Many Courts-Martial, and in Which Years?

The records show 21 cases tried between January 2019 and August 2023. By year, there were 8 in 2019, 2 in 2020, 3 in 2021, 5 in 2022, and 3 in 2023. Together they are 2% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in those years.

These are trial dates, not offense dates. A case tried in 2021 may involve conduct from a year or more earlier. That matters when comparing any year with a change in the law.

Who Was Accused at Peterson

By rank, the accused were 11 junior enlisted members, 6 NCOs, and 4 officers. That mix is more senior than in the Air Force as a whole.

General courts-martial made up 67% of the cases (14 of 21). A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. Special courts-martial made up the rest. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

What Was Charged

Charges are listed in 16 of the 21 records. Drug offenses under Article 112a were the most common charge, in 7 cases, or 44% of those with charges listed. That is about the same as the 41% Air Force-wide. Assault under Article 128 was next, at 25%, compared with 19% service-wide.

Sexual assault under Article 120 appeared in 12% of cases here, compared with 11% across the Air Force. The general article, Article 134, appeared less often than elsewhere: 12% here, compared with 21%. Each article counts once per case, so a single case charging both assault and drug use appears in both rows.

Full Acquittals and Sentences

Of the 21 cases, 5 ended in a full acquittal. That 24% is the same as the 24% in all Air Force cases in those years. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea. For that reason, this rate is measured against all cases, not contested cases only.

There were 16 convictions, and 15 of them carried confinement. 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, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case.

Punitive Discharges and Dismissals

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members. 46% of enlisted convictions at Peterson included one. That is lower than the 56% in the rest of the Air Force. There were 4 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges.

For officers, the equivalent is a dismissal. Of 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.

Judge or Members?

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. At Peterson, members heard 52% of cases with the forum listed: 5 enlisted panels and 6 officer panels. A judge alone heard the other 10.

Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the split mostly follows how many cases were contested.

Compared With 2016–2018 and Similar Installations

In 2016–2018, Peterson had 26 cases, about 9 a year. It has had about 4 a year since, counting full years only. Median confinement went from 3 months to 4 months. Convictions with confinement went from 80% to 94%. The general court-martial share went from 54% to 67%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members were about the same: 44% then and 46% since. Small groups change with a few cases, so these figures show direction, not precise size.

FE Warren AFB, Wyoming and JB Andrews, Maryland each tried 21 Air Force cases in the same years. All 3 installations had a median confinement of 4 months. Peterson had the highest contested share of the 3 (62%, compared with 44% and 50%). It had the lowest enlisted punitive discharge rate (46%, compared with 64% and 50%).

What the Records Cannot Show

Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the terms of any plea agreement, or misconduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements. The peer comparison appears below.

Offense dates are also missing, so the records cannot place a case before or after a given change in the law.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

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.