{"id":35293,"date":"2018-04-08T17:17:42","date_gmt":"2018-04-08T17:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:33:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:33:44","slug":"military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NEWARK, N.J. \u2014 The allegations were shocking: an Army major and his wife accused of abusing their three young foster children through beatings, denial of food and water and forcing them to eat hot pepper flakes as punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When John and Carolyn Jackson were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/2015\/12\/15\/probation-prison-for-military-couple-in-child-abuse-case\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">convicted of child endangerment in 2015<\/a>, prosecutors received another shock when the trial judge, casting aside their recommendation for prison terms of more than 15 years, sentenced Carolyn Jackson to two years and John Jackson to probation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that a U.S. district judge\u2019s sentencing was \u201csubstantively unreasonable\u201d and that her rationale \u201cdefied common sense,\u201d and sent the case back for resentencing, scheduled for this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2017\/07\/07\/court-orders-re-sentencing-in-military-child-abuse-case\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/maj-john-jackson.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Court orders re-sentencing in military child abuse case<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A federal appeals court has ordered a new sentencing for a former Army major and his wife convicted of multiple counts of child endangerment, after prosecutors argued their initial sentences were too lenient.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Judges often say that imposing sentence is the most difficult part of their job, and the Jackson case amplifies the balancing act necessary to weigh the seriousness of the crime with the requirements of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis case is full of emotion and horror, but there\u2019s a process and a way to get to a reasonable sentence,\u201d said Rebecca Monck Ricigliano, a former federal prosecutor currently in private practice with Crowell and Moring in New York. \u201cThere is a method here, and I think that\u2019s where the circuit court found fault.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"722\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096824973909.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69001\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096824973909.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096824973909.jpg.jpg?resize=300,212 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096824973909.jpg.jpg?resize=768,542 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Oct. 17, 2014, file photo, John Jackson and his wife, Carolyn, leave the Federal Courthouse in Newark, N.J., after opening arguments in their trial on charges of child abuse. The former military couple, convicted in July of 2015 of systematically abusing their foster children, will find out on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, if their sentences will be increased. (Chris Pedota\/The Record via AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Jacksons\u2019 first trial in 2014 ended when a prosecutor inadvertently referred to a fourth foster child who had died. The Jacksons weren\u2019t charged in his death, and Hayden declared a mistrial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the retrial, prosecutors presented evidence the children suffered broken bones and other serious health problems from the abuse, and were severely underweight and developmentally delayed when they were removed from the family home in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The couple\u2019s attorneys argued the Jacksons\u2019 child-rearing methods might have been unconventional but weren\u2019t criminal. They also said the foster children had serious health problems before they joined the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the Jacksons lived at the Army\u2019s Picatinny Arsenal facility in New Jersey, they were tried in federal court. Because child endangerment isn\u2019t a federal crime, state endangerment charges were merged into the federal indictment to go along with a conspiracy count and two assault counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the Jacksons were convicted of child endangerment but acquitted of the assault counts, prosecutors argued Hayden should sentence them under federal guidelines because the nature of the endangerment counts made them \u201csufficiently analogous\u201d to assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense attorneys disagreed and argued the couple \u201ccan\u2019t be tried for one crime and sentenced for another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During a lengthy sentencing hearing, Hayden rejected the prosecution\u2019s argument, saying that applying federal assault guidelines was the equivalent of \u201cfitting a square peg into a round hole.\u201d She also accused prosecutors of being overzealous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is not a game,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is not the Giants versus Miami. This is not, how many touchdowns do we win by?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The appeals court called that comment \u201cinappropriate\u201d and faulted Hayden for not considering aggravating factors such as the extent of the children\u2019s injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCharacterizing Defendants\u2019 conduct as misguided corporal punishment and mistaken or bad parenting, the District Court refused to hold Defendants\u2019 responsible for the children\u2019s various injuries and medical conditions,\u201d the majority wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Highlighting the case\u2019s complexities, 3rd Circuit Judge Theodore McKee wrote in a dissent that he agreed with Hayden\u2019s reasoning even though \u201cit is impossible for anyone with an ounce of compassion to read through this transcript without becoming extraordinarily moved by allegations about what these children had to endure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. attorney\u2019s office and an attorney representing Carolyn Jackson declined to comment on Wednesday\u2019s resentencing. John Jackson is represented by the federal public defender\u2019s office, which doesn\u2019t comment on cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case is an example of the judicial system working as it should, said Michael Weinstein, a former government prosecutor now in private practice with New York-based Cole Schotz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a great check and balance,\u201d he said. \u201cYes, judges have tremendous discretion and authority, but there is someone looking over their shoulder evaluating what they do and making it conform in general, broad strokes with what the circuit sees as the law at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The allegations were shocking: an Army major and his wife accused of abusing their three young foster children through beatings, denial of food and water and forcing them to eat hot pepper flakes as punishment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":68998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":70,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,12,25,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2456],"class_list":["post-35293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4SEK6VD7M5EAVJDVOAV5UUEAFQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The allegations were shocking: an Army major and his wife accused of abusing their three young foster children through beatings, denial of food and water and forcing them to eat hot pepper flakes as punishment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The allegations were shocking: an Army major and his wife accused of abusing their three young foster children through beatings, denial of food and water and forcing them to eat hot pepper flakes as punishment.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-08T17:17:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:33:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Porter, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Porter, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-04-08T17:17:42+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:33:44+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 764,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Army\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues - Army Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-04-08T17:17:42+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:33:44+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The allegations were shocking: an Army major and his wife accused of abusing their three young foster children through beatings, denial of food and water and forcing them to eat hot pepper flakes as punishment.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/08\\\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Army\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-army\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Army Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues - Army Times","description":"The allegations were shocking: an Army major and his wife accused of abusing their three young foster children through beatings, denial of food and water and forcing them to eat hot pepper flakes as punishment.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues","og_description":"The allegations were shocking: an Army major and his wife accused of abusing their three young foster children through beatings, denial of food and water and forcing them to eat hot pepper flakes as punishment.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/","og_site_name":"Army Times","article_published_time":"2018-04-08T17:17:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T06:33:44+00:00","author":"David Porter, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Porter, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues","datePublished":"2018-04-08T17:17:42+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:33:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/"},"wordCount":764,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","News","Newsletters","Your Army"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/","name":"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues - Army Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-08T17:17:42+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:33:44+00:00","description":"The allegations were shocking: an Army major and his wife accused of abusing their three young foster children through beatings, denial of food and water and forcing them to eat hot pepper flakes as punishment.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/08\/military-child-abuse-case-raises-complex-sentencing-issues\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Army","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/","ad_zone":"your-army"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Military child abuse case raises complex sentencing issues"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","name":"Army Times","description":"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization","name":"Army Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","caption":"Army Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Army Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18096817771587.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35293"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35296,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35293\/revisions\/35296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35293"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=35293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}