4
Soldiers Charged in Alleged Sexual Assault in Barracks at Washington State Base
The 2019 edition of the Manual for Courts-Martial United
States rests on a podium in the courtroom at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma,
Arizona, January 18, 2023. (Jade Venegas/U.S. Marine Corps)
Posted: August 22, 2025 --- Military.com | By Rebecca
Kheel
Published August 21, 2025, at 5:16pm
ET
4 soldiers have been charged in an alleged sexual assault that took place in the barracks at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state last year, a spokesperson for the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel confirmed to Military.com on Thursday. Corporal (CPL) Pedro Angel Ruiz, Private 2nd Class Deron J. Gordon, Specialist (SPC) Jadon Bosarge and Private First Class (PFC) Kallon Curiel are accused in a sexual assault of one person that happened October 27, 2024, Michelle McCaskill, the spokesperson for the special trial counsel, said in an email.
"The charges are allegations and CPL Angel Ruiz, PV2 Gordon, SPC Bosarge and PFC Curiel are presumed innocent unless proven guilty," she added. No other details about the alleged assault, including the soldiers' relationship with the victim and whether the victim was also in the military, were immediately available. The charges were first reported by Stars and Stripes. The 4 cases are at "various stages" of the legal process, McCaskill said. Gordon has already pleaded guilty, according to the Army's online docket for courts-martial.
He was charged with 12 counts of sexual assault, 2 counts of sexual misconduct, 2 counts of attempt, 1 count of conspiracy, and 1 count of obstructing justice, according to the docket. Angel Ruiz has been charged with 1 count of sexual misconduct, 2 counts of attempt, 1 count of conspiracy, and 1 count of obstruction, according to the docket. An arraignment was held August 5th, with another preliminary hearing scheduled for September 26th and a trial scheduled for November 3rd.
Curiel is facing charges of one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault of a child, according to the docket. His Article 32 preliminary hearing, essentially a grand jury hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to move to trial, is scheduled for Friday. A docket entry for Bosarge has not yet been posted online. The Army's Office of Special Trial Counsel, along with other services' special trial counsel offices, were established in late 2023 to handle prosecutions of serious crimes such as sexual assault, murder and kidnapping.
Congress mandated the offices as part of its efforts to eradicate sexual assault in the military. The Pentagon's most recent report on sexual assault in the military, released in May, found that the number of reported sexual assaults last year dropped for the second year in a row. Overall, reported sexual assaults dropped nearly 4% in 2024 compared to 2023, fueled by a 13% decrease in reported assaults in the Army.
