JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCORD, Wash. – A soldier who pleaded guilty to the rape and sexual abuse of children will spend 35 years in prison.
Staff Sgt. Carlos R. Estrada, 42, a signal intelligence voice interceptor with the 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, admitted to these crimes during his court-martial April 17 at the Cascade Court Complex, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
He pleaded guilty to two specifications of the rape of a child and one specification of sexual abuse of a child. There were three victims in this case, all under the age of 12 when the offenses occurred.
Estrada committed his crimes while stationed at JBLM between August 2019 and November 2024. Two of the victims are his family members, the third is a friend of the children.
To commit his crimes, Estrada took advantage of sleep overs and on occasions when his wife was not at home to sexually abuse the children.
The friend of his family members reported to her mother that Estrada sexually abused her numerous times in 2019 when she was 6 years old. The mother then reported the allegations to the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
During an interview with Army CID agents, Estrada’s two family members disclosed that he had sexually abused them numerous times over the course of the last few years. When questioned by Army CID, Estrada denied the allegations.
Army CID obtained a warrant for Estrada’s electronic devices and requested he turn them in. Afterwards, he was ordered to live on post and a military protection order was put into place.
Days later, Estrada went absent without official leave and fled east. On Nov. 7, 2024, he was apprehended on Interstate 80 in Carbon, County, Wyo.
Army CID collaborated closely with Wyoming law enforcement, utilizing digital tracking which led to his quick apprehension.
“The courage of the victims in this case cannot be understated. All under the age of 12, these children had the courage to stand up and report the abuse they had been suffering at the hands of the accused,” said Capt. Stephen Harrell, prosecutor, Sixth Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. “The only reason justice was served in this case is because of their bravery.”
“This soldier abused his position as a trusted parent to sexually abuse his own children and their friend,” said Army CID Western Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Michele Starostka. “This outcome proves the critical value of our law enforcement partnerships in safeguarding our communities and maximizing our jurisdiction on and off our installations. Together we stand unwavering in our commitment to protecting our children.”
In addition to his prison sentence, the military judge sentenced Estrada to reduction in rank to E-1 and a dishonorable discharge from the Army.
Estrada will serve his prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon release from prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
While Army CID’s Western Field Office was the lead agency, the Lacey Police Department, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families, and the Wyoming State Patrol supported the investigation by interviewing victims, witnesses and apprehending Estrada.
The case was prosecuted by Harrell and Capt. Gage Dabin, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, I Corps, JBLM.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit https://www.army.mil/ostc.
If you would like to report a crime, have information about a crime, or have been the subject or survivor of a crime, you can submit anonymous tips to Army CID at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=325.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2025 09:11 |
| Story ID: | 496676 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Military judge sentences JBLM soldier to prison for sexually assaulting multiple children, by Michelle McCaskill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
