A U.S. Army sergeant assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division was convicted at a general court-martial at Fort Hood after pleading guilty to multiple aggravated assault offenses stemming from a series of domestic violence incidents involving his wife, documented first by civilian police in Bell County, Texas.
On January 14, 2026, Sergeant Forlando D. Dean, U.S. Army, pleaded guilty before a military judge to two specifications of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, in violation of Article 128 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The case was heard judge-alone pursuant to a plea agreement.
The military judge sentenced Dean to 20 months of confinement and a dishonorable discharge, ending his military career. The sentence was consistent with the negotiated plea agreement.
The investigation that ultimately led to Dean’s court-martial began months earlier with a domestic violence call involving his wife.
According to a Bell County probable-cause affidavit, officers were dispatched to the couple’s residence in September 2025 following a reported disturbance. When officers arrived, Dean was no longer present.
The responding officer wrote that Dean’s wife initially advised that nothing had occurred and stated that her husband had already left the residence. The officer reported confronting her and advising that he had seen Dean at the location.
After that exchange, she provided additional context about the events leading up to the incident.
She told the officer she had gone out earlier in the evening with friends and that her phone had died while she was out. Because she was not answering her phone, her mother contacted Dean, her husband, out of concern. According to her statement, after she returned home, an argument broke out inside the bedroom.
She reported that during the argument, Dean began punching her. She pointed out areas where she said she had been struck, including her face, left thigh, and right lower back, and told officers she felt pain while being hit.
The officer noted that no visible injuries were initially observed. However, later during the interaction, the officer observed swelling beginning to form on her left thigh, which he documented as consistent with having been struck.
Dean, according to the report, denied that an assault occurred and characterized the incident as an argument.
Based on the wife’s statements and the visible injury observed, the officer determined there was probable cause that Dean had intentionally or knowingly caused bodily injury to a family member. Dean was later taken into custody and charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member, a Class A misdemeanor under Texas law.
Court records show that the September assault was not the first time Bell County law enforcement had responded to incidents involving Dean and his wife in 2025.
In earlier cases that year, Dean was arrested on charges including criminal trespass of a habitation and criminal mischief, both involving his wife’s residence after the couple was separated.
According to charging documents, Dean entered and remained at his wife’s residence without her effective consent after being told that entry was forbidden and after being instructed to leave. The complainant reported that Dean returned to the residence despite being told not to come back and refused to depart when ordered.
In a separate incident weeks later, police were again dispatched to the same residence after reports of property damage. Dean’s wife told officers that he had returned and caused damage to the front door while attempting to gain entry. She estimated approximately $700 in damage.
Officers documented damage consistent with forced entry. Dean was arrested and transported to the Bell County Jail on charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespass. Court records show the cases were handled separately but involved the same parties and location.
Affidavits in those cases note repeated returns to the residence after prior warnings, with confrontations escalating when Dean did not disengage.
The Army later assumed jurisdiction over the most serious allegations, charging Dean with aggravated assault involving a dangerous weapon. While the publicly available court-martial record does not identify the specific weapon involved, Dean’s guilty pleas required him to admit that the weapon was used in a manner capable of causing death or serious bodily harm.
The offenses were resolved through a general court-martial, the highest level of military criminal court.
A dishonorable discharge is the most severe punitive separation under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and results in the permanent loss of veterans benefits.
© 2026 The Salty Soldier. All rights reserved
