> ## 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. # Sheppard AFB, Texas Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/sheppard-afb-texas-before-after-2019/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:06:22.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:22.000Z - Description: Sheppard AFB, Texas tried 17 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023, and 5 of them ended in a full acquittal (29%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 40% in 2016–2018 to 67%. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Sheppard AFB, Texas, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Sheppard AFB, Texas](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-sheppard-afb-texas/) › Before and after 2019 **Short answer:** Sheppard AFB, Texas tried 17 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023, and 5 of them ended in a full acquittal (29%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 40% in 2016–2018 to 67%. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 2 months in the earlier period. Based on 17 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Full Acquittals and Pleas 15 of the 17 records list the plea: 7 guilty pleas and 8 contested cases. A contested case has a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 53%, was close to the 50% Air Force-wide. 5 of the 17 cases ended in a full acquittal (29%). Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so this rate is measured against all cases. Among the 8 decided contested cases, 5 ended in a full acquittal. ## Discharges Before and After 2019 A punitive discharge followed 67% of enlisted convictions: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. The Air Force share was 56%. In 2016–2018 the share at Sheppard was 40%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. | | 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | | ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 11 | 17 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 53% | | Convictions with confinement | 70% | 83% | | Median confinement | 2 months | 4 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 40% | 67% | | General courts-martial | 45% | 65% | ## Confinement 12 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 10 of those sentences included confinement (83%). The median was 4 months, the same as across the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 6 months or longer. In 2016–2018, 70% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 2 months. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. With few cases, the changes show direction only. ## Charges 12 of the 17 records list the charges. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 4 cases (33%), compared with 16% across the Air Force. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 25%. Drug charges under Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 17% of cases, lower than the 41% Air Force share. Article 93a (prohibited activities with recruit or trainee) appeared in 1 case. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Air Force docket | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------- | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 33% | 16% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 3 | 25% | 21% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 17% | 41% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 2 | 17% | 19% | | Art. 108 Military property; loss, damage, destruction | 1 | 8% | 0% | | Art. 126 Arson; burning property with intent to defraud | 1 | 8% | 0% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 1 | 8% | 11% | | Art. 93a Prohibited activities with recruit or trainee | 1 | 8% | 0% | ## Court Level, Forum, and Rank Sheppard held 11 general and 6 special courts-martial. The general share, 65%, compares with 53% in the rest of the Air Force and 45% at Sheppard in 2016–2018. Members heard 35% of the cases with the forum listed: 4 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 11\. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 76% of the accused, compared with 64% Air Force-wide. ## Caseload and Peers The yearly count was 2 in 2019, 3 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 4 in 2022, and 2 in 2023\. The earlier period had 11 cases, about 4 a year, compared with about 3 a year since. RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and USAF Academy, Colorado each tried 20 cases in 2019–2023. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | ------------------------------ | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Sheppard AFB, Texas | 17 | 53% | 5 of 8 | 4 months | 67% | | RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom | 20 | 50% | 1 of 7 | 8 months | 73% | | USAF Academy, Colorado | 20 | 75% | 3 of 9 | 4 months | 7% | ## Limits Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show offense dates, evidence, plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. 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 tried at Sheppard AFB, Texas in 2016–2018 (11) and 2019–2023 (17). 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 - [Sheppard AFB, Texas: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-sheppard-afb-texas/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Sheppard AFB, Texas Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 17 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/sheppard-afb-texas-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/andersen-afb-guam-before-after-2019/) - [Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2019/) - [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-before-after-2024/) - [Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/davis-monthan-afb-arizona-before-after-2019/) - [Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/davis-monthan-afb-arizona-before-after-2024/) - [Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ellsworth-afb-south-dakota-before-after-2019/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Sheppard AFB, Texas, 2019–2023 - [Thomas J. Alford](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-thomas-j-alford/) - [Jefferson B. Brown](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jefferson-b-brown/) - [Christina M. Jimenez](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-christina-m-jimenez/) - [Shad R. Kidd](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-shad-r-kidd/) - [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/) - [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.