JBLM doctor found guilty of sexual assault and hears victims in court

WASHINGTON STATE — An Army veteran sat in a small courtroom at Joint Base Lewis McChord, his voice breaking, to speak for the first time on the record about how he was sexually assaulted by his doctor.

The senior officer, who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, told the court how he was seeking relief for Army medic Michael Stockin’s back pain in 2022. But instead, he said, the US Medical Center anesthesiologist Madigan’s Army told him to “leave the problem.” ” and touched his genitals several times without gloves.

Stockin has admitted the crime and 35 other attacks on soldiers that they were made “with the intention of arousing and gratifying the sexual desire” of the doctor under the guise of a medical purpose. It is believed to be the largest case of its kind in recent Army history.

On Friday, Jan. 10, Judge Col. Larry Babin formally accepted the terms of a plea deal, which called for Stockin to be discharged, stripped of any military benefits and face a minimum of about 10 years in prison. In exchange, Stockin pleaded guilty to 41 counts, or what are called “specifications” under military law, including 36 counts of abusive sexual contact and 5 counts of indecent viewing. Military prosecutors dropped 11 other charges during the trial.

The judge asked Stockin directly: “Are you doing this because you are convinced you are guilty?”

Stockin responded, “Yes, your honor.”

RELATED | JBLM doctor pleads guilty to sexually assaulting several service members

Military legal protocol allows victims to tell their stories at the sentencing phase, and several soldiers did just that.

The aforementioned officer said he was suffering from degenerative disc disease from being on his feet for hours on end and went to Stockin at the pain clinic to seek help. But he said Stockin committed the crime that left him “confused,” “ashamed” and suffering “attacks of depression.”

He said he would testify because “I want to hold the government accountable for allowing this crime to be committed against me.”

Another young officer, who was assaulted, also testified that he has since had problems in his marriage, sought mental health treatment and lost trust in doctors and his commanders. He told the court he plans to leave the military because “I don’t think the military is the place for me.” The officer told a similar story about seeking relief for groin pain, but Stockin carried out a similar assault.

All the victims are men. Stockin was removed from office in 2022 when the allegations first emerged, but they were not limited to them. The plea agreement requires him to serve a minimum of 118 months and a maximum of 164 months. You will also be discharged from the Army, or what is commonly known outside the position as a “dishonorable discharge,” and will be stripped of any future military or VA benefits. You must also register as a sex offender.

It was part of a settlement negotiated for months in a case that has drawn national attention about how the Army handles misconduct complaints.

Stockin’s attorney declined to comment until the end of the proceedings.

A lawyer for multiple victims, Ryan Guilds, says he still has questions about the checks and balances that allowed the abuse to continue for so long and with so many victims. There is already a civil case underway, involving at least 21 victims, who are seeking millions of dollars from the government.

Stockin had been an anesthesiologist in the Army since May 2013 and served at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu and Walter Reed in Bethesda, Maryland, before arriving at JBLM in July 2019. He was also deployed to Iraq from October 2020 to February 2021. according to army prosecutors.