Barracks Rumor Mill cover: full-frame photo of a 1st Cavalry Division Abrams tank in OCPs at Fort Hood, with the headline "Fort Hood Private Gets 17 Years 8 Months for Crash Attack" over a dark band and a small SENTENCED stamp.

Fort Hood Private Gets 17 Years 8 Months for Crash Attack

October 12, 2026

A Fort Hood private pleaded guilty to attempted murder after crashing his car on purpose to kill the Soldier who reported him. A military judge sentenced him Oct. 1 to 17 years and eight months in prison and a dishonorable discharge. He’ll do his time at the USDB at Fort Leavenworth.

He was a cook assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. The victim was a fellow cook in his unit.

What happened

The victim reported him to leadership for being high at work. Leadership pulled him off duty and ran a probable-cause urinalysis that came back positive for prohibited substances.
On Dec. 15, 2025, the private was in his vehicle with the victim when he confronted him about the report. He then drove recklessly across Fort Hood at high speed, ran stop signs and crosswalks, and crashed into a utility pole on purpose.
The crash rolled the vehicle multiple times and hit several cars in a nearby parking lot. Fort Hood Military Police and emergency services took both Soldiers to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center for minor injuries.
He confessed right after the crash that he had crashed on purpose. Army CID’s Central Texas Field Office and Fort Hood MPs investigated. Crash-scene reconstruction backed up the confession.

The verdict

At a general court-martial at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center on Oct. 1, he pleaded guilty before a military judge to one specification of attempted murder, one of wrongful use of a controlled substance, one of violating a lawful general regulation, and one of damaging nonmilitary property, under Articles 80, 92, 109, and 112a of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The sentence of 17 years and eight months confinement plus a dishonorable discharge matched the terms of a plea agreement.
Per the Army release, the controlled-substance plea covered wrongful use of marijuana, and the regulation plea covered failure to obey a general order.

Why an E-4 should care

The victim did the right thing. The private tried to kill him for it, and now he’s doing nearly 18 years at Leavenworth with a DD.
Pleading guilty didn’t save him. He still gets confinement, a DD, and an attempted-murder conviction that follows him out the gate.
If someone in your unit is working high, report it. Chain of command, CID, and ASAP exist for a reason.

Cover photo: A 1st Cavalry Division Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 main battle tank moves during Pegasus Forge on Fort Hood, Texas, Aug. 6, 2025. The people and vehicle pictured are unconnected to this case. U.S. Army photo, 1st Cavalry Division, via DVIDS (ID 9244158), https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9244158/1st-cavalry-division-transforming-contact. The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.