An Army combat medic stationed in Japan has been sentenced to prison and received a bad conduct discharge after pleading guilty to domestic violence by strangulation during a June 20 court-martial.
Staff Sgt. David J. Rollings, 34, assigned to U.S. Army Medical Activity–Japan, admitted to strangling his wife during an April 21, 2024, assault at their off-post residence. His wife, a third-country national, escaped and ran to Camp Zama, where she reported the incident to gate guards and military police.
Rollings was sentenced by a military judge to 75 days of confinement, reduction in rank to specialist (E-4), and a bad conduct discharge from the U.S. Army. The sentence was issued in accordance with a plea agreement that also resulted in the dismissal of charges related to property damage and illegal steroid possession and use.
According to testimony and investigation findings, the April 21 incident was not isolated. The victim provided Army CID investigators with photos showing injuries from multiple prior assaults throughout their 10-month marriage.
The couple met on a dating website and married just three months later, in June 2023. According to investigators, the physical abuse began shortly after the marriage.
Rollings admitted to the abuse in a statement to Army CID, acknowledging not only the April 21 incident but also a pattern of physical aggression, including punching holes in their apartment walls and using anabolic steroids, which he began taking in early 2024.
Although the victim declined to appear in court, she submitted a written impact statement asking the court to show leniency toward her husband.
“Domestic violence has no place in our ranks,” said Maj. Megan Herriford, lead prosecutor with the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel’s Seventh Circuit. “This outcome reinforces our commitment to protecting victims and ensuring abusers are held accountable.”
Army CID officials echoed that sentiment.
“This sentencing underscores Army CID’s dedication to thoroughly investigating allegations of domestic violence and ensuring justice for victims,” said Special Agent Michael DeFamio, Special Agent in Charge of the Far East Field Office. “We encourage anyone who has been the victim of a crime to contact us.”
Rollings will serve his sentence at the Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka Brig on Honshu, Japan.
The case was investigated by the Far East Field Office of Army CID and prosecuted by Maj. Herriford; Maj. Christina Lowry, Chief of Justice for U.S. Army Japan; and Capt. Brenda Lin, 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
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