Editors note: This article has been formatted to comply with advertiser and platform content restrictions. Because the underlying court records contain graphic allegations and testimony involving a child victim, certain details have been omitted from this public version.
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In a previous investigation, The Salty Soldier reported that former Army Specialist Charles W. Wood—who now appears to operate online under the name “Cal Sherwood” and has published multiple children’s books—was convicted by court-martial in 2016 of sexually abusing a child and was later identified on Nevada’s public sex offender registry as a Tier III offender.
Following publication of that report, The Salty Soldier obtained additional military court records that provide substantially more detail regarding the conduct underlying Wood’s conviction.
Court records identify Wood as a Soldier assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 40th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas, when the offenses occurred.
The newly obtained records include the Army’s General Court-Martial Order and appellate court filings associated with Wood’s case. According to those records, Wood was convicted at a general court-martial convened at Fort Bliss of two specifications of sexual abuse of a child under Article 120b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He was sentenced to reduction to E-1, confinement for six years, and a dishonorable discharge.
According to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, the victim was Wood’s four year old nephew. The appellate opinion provides additional details regarding the evidence presented at trial and the circumstances that ultimately led to disclosure of the abuse and a subsequent criminal investigation. Wood pleaded not guilty but was convicted by a military judge of two specifications of sexual abuse of a child.
The Army Court of Criminal Appeals later affirmed the convictions while modifying portions of the findings relating to the number of occasions proven at trial.
One aspect of the newly obtained records may prove particularly significant.
The Army’s final General Court-Martial Order specifically states that Wood “will be required to register as a military sexual offender” pursuant to Army regulations.
That directive is consistent with Nevada records previously reviewed by The Salty Soldier, which currently identify Charles Wesley Wood as a Tier III sex offender registered in Clark County, Nevada, for the same military conviction.
As previously reported, The Salty Soldier identified public Maryland property records showing Wood and active-duty Army officer Donald Spencer Scales jointly purchased a Baltimore-area residence in July 2024. State property records designate the residence as a principal residence.
At the time of publication, The Salty Soldier reviewed Maryland’s public sex offender registry using the names Charles Wood, Charles Scales, and Cal Sherwood, as well as the Baltimore property address associated with Wood and Scales. No current Maryland registry entry was identified.
Following publication, The Salty Soldier contacted Maryland registry officials seeking clarification regarding registration requirements for Tier III offenders convicted in other jurisdictions. Officials advised that qualifying offenders who establish a sufficient presence in Maryland are required to register and that interstate registration matters are routinely coordinated between states.
Registry officials further explained that the public database reflects current registrations only. As a result, The Salty Soldier was unable to determine whether Wood previously maintained a Maryland registration, as officials stated they could not disclose an individual’s registration history.
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