JBLM doctor faces court martial in sexual assault case

A doctor at Joint Base Lewis McChord is now facing a court martial— in what some experts say could grow to become one of the largest sexual assault cases in military history.

Major Michael Stockin, 38, faces 53 charges involving at least 42 victims. U.S. Army spokesperson Michelle McCaskill said they involve “multiple instances of abusive sexual contact and indecent viewing.”

The records also indicate that a majority, if not all, of the 42 alleged victims are male. The documents include claims that Stockin attempted to cover up sexual abuse of patients by falsely representing that it had a “medical purpose.”

In the claim, it’s unclear if all the alleged incidents occurred at JBLM, where Stockin had been stationed as an anesthesiologist since 2019 at Madigan Army Medical Center.

Redacted document: 2023-U.S. Army claim

A civil case has also been filed against the Army by some of the accusers. According to the filing, they were still being seen by Stockin months after the first claims of abuse were leveled against him in February 2022. “The Army’s negligence directly caused me to be sexually assaulted by Dr. Stockin,” one of the accusers said.

The man, identified only as John Doe, said after seeking treatment for back pain, he felt “traumatized” after his initial examination with Stockin. He said he was made to take off his pants and boxers for the exam, and says Stockin then began touching him inappropriately. “I kept replaying the way he violated me,” he wrote in court documents. “I felt so ashamed that I was reluctant to tell even my wife for several days.”

Following an investigation, the Army initially charged Stockin with 23 counts of sexual abuse in August 2022. That has since expanded to 53 counts as of last Friday.

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Christine Dunn with Sanford Heisler and Sharp, LLC is an attorney representing seven victims. She told KIRO 7 TV, “We have heard that there’s potentially up to 100 different victims who have made complaints in the criminal case,” and she believes more will come forward.

Through his attorneys, Stockin has maintained his innocence.

“While there are still many questions to be answered in this case, I believe there are three undisputed facts,” Stockin’s defense attorney, Robert Capovilla, said in a statement to CBS News. “First, the Army referred charges against Major Stockin last week. Second, the parties are in the process of finalizing an arraignment date. And third, the Defense Team is very much looking forward to fighting this case on behalf of a military officer whom we believe is falsely accused.”

Stockin has been suspended from patient care since the Army began investigating the alleged conduct. He has not been detained. An arraignment in the case is scheduled for Feb. 23, according to the Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel, when a trial date will be determined.