Sexual Assault Charges at Wheeler Army Airfield, 2021–2023: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences

Trends › By Installation › Wheeler Army Airfield › Article 120, 2021–2023

Based on 18 cases · 2021–2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Accused Pleaded Not Guilty

Only 2 of the 18 accused pleaded guilty. The other 16 cases were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 89%, higher than the 71% in Army Article 120 cases in 2021–2023.

Full and Partial Acquittals

Of the 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, 6 ended in a full acquittal (38%). Across Army Article 120 cases, the full-acquittal rate was 42%, so the rate here was lower.

Another 9 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal (56%). A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals appear often in Army records.

Longer Median Confinement Than the Army

A total of 12 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Of those 12 sentences, 11 included confinement (92%). The median confinement was 3.8 years, compared with 1.8 years in all Army Article 120 cases.

Among the sentences with confinement, a quarter were 9.7 years or longer. These figures are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, not Article 120 alone.

Punitive Discharges

Of 12 enlisted members convicted, 11 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (92%). That is more often than the 80% in Army Article 120 cases. Of those 11 discharges, 10 were dishonorable, the more severe type.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Panels Heard Most Contested Cases

The forum is listed for 17 of the 18 cases. A military judge alone decided guilt in 4 of them (24%). Panels of members heard 13: 10 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels.

In contested cases, members heard 13 of 15 (87%). The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.

Assault Charged in Most Cases

Article 120 was the only charge in 2 of the 18 cases. Across the Army in the same years, 139 of 376 Article 120 cases had no other charge.

Article 128 (assault) was charged in 11 cases. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 5, Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 3, and Article 107 (false official statement) and Article 80 (attempt) in 2 each.

Rank and Timing

The accused were 12 junior enlisted members and 6 NCOs. The group is more junior than the accused in Army Article 120 cases overall.

The trials ran from March 2021 through September 2023: 8 in 2021, 3 in 2022, and 7 in 2023. They made up 25% of the 72 courts-martial at Wheeler Army Airfield in those years. The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020, and Army records in this data are sparse before 2021.

What the Records Do Not Show

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial

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.