JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — A spokesperson for I Corps, a headquarters managing daily activities for soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and across the Pacific, says the Army preferred court-martial charges against Maj. Michael Stockin for abusive sexual contact and indecent viewing.
I Corps said Stockin's behavior was in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. An I Corps spokesperson says as a matter of policy, the Army does not comment on ongoing investigations.
According to the spokesperson, Maj. Stockin served in the Army since May 2013 as an anesthesiologist, including a deployment to Iraq from 2020 to 2021 and an assignment at JBLM from July to 2019, though he was suspended from seeing patients on February 22, 2022.
Attorney Ryan Guilds is serving as Civilian Special Victims Counsel for patients who reported allegations concerning Stockin.
"These are very serious allegations, this is a criminal matter, it's going to proceed through the court martial process, so we're gonna let that court-martial process play out," Guilds said. "I don't think there's any question that there are real questions out there regarding the scope and nature of the allegations here. We're talking about multiple hospitals, multiple victims and real questions about what Army officials and hospital administrators knew or didn't know, and what they could or couldn't have done to prevent this."
Guilds said it takes courage to come forward and seek the resources and support to go through the criminal justice process.
"I applaud these survivors who so far have come forward, I encourage other survivors to do so, I know for every male who reports a sexual assault there are nine males who don't report," Guild said. "I know we are woefully inadequate in our ability to provide the kind of sustained support for survivors that gives them the basis and comfort to be able to come forward and go through the criminal justice process."
Defense attorney Robert Capovilla confirmed charges were preferred and wrote that "charges alone are not evidence and the Defense has been given very little opportunity to review CID’s investigation."
In a statement, Capovilla said his office was told by at least one potential witness they were not permitted to speak with a defense investigator.
"We certainly hope this is not the case, and we expect the Army to ensure that Major Stockin’s constitutional right to a fair defense is honored at all stages of the process," Capovilla wrote. "We look forward to being given full access to the evidence and we hope to conduct our own thorough investigation into these allegations free from unlawful command influence."
I Corps says the next steps are for an independent officer to review charges at a pretrial preliminary hearing. A spokesperson says charges are "merely accusations, and the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty."
According to Guilds, the criminal matter is likely to last several months.
"Patience is important -- but also ensuring that we ask the right questions, that we hold the army accountable, that we hold leadership accountable, and that we don't let the Army or anyone else sweep this under the rug or try to hide the ball or the facts at the end of the day," Guilds said. "If you feel you need support I encourage you to reach out to the various resources and organizations out there. There are great people who want to help survivors, and help you, empower you to make the choices that are best for you."