FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – A Soldier who was apprehended in the United Kingdom after fleeing the United States three years ago was convicted by a military jury for desertion during his trial July 1 at the Fort Leonard Wood Courtroom.
Spc. Oliver E. Board, 33, a combat medic assigned to the General Leonard Wood Community Hospital, was also convicted of larceny and providing a false official statement.
The military judge sentenced him to 326 days of confinement, a $3,925 fine with an additional 180 days of confinement if the fine is not paid, and a bad conduct discharge from the Army.
In 2022, Board was an activated reservist on Title 10 orders and in the process of demobilizing when he was recalled to duty by the Hospital Company commander because he was under investigation for unlawfully receiving Family Separation Allowance.
FSA is a monthly payment designed to offset the extra expenses incurred by Soldiers with dependents when they are forced to live apart from their families for more than 30 continuous days.
Agents with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division were investigating Board because he was suspected of submitting documents that contained false information in order to receive FSA.
At the same time, Board was also under investigation for the sexual abuse of a minor where he was accused of having lewd communications with a 14-year-old.
The commander preferred charges against Board for larceny, providing a false official statement and communicating indecent language to a child on Dec. 2, 2022, and shortly thereafter he fled to the United Kingdom where he is a dual citizen.
In August 2025, the United Kingdom Metropolitan Police contacted Army CID due to an active deserter warrant for Board. The UK Metropolitan Police apprehended him after receiving two tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children associated with possession and distribution of child pornography in 2024.
In partnership with the UK Metropolitan Police, Board was returned to military control on Dec. 12, 2025.
He was returned to Fort Leonard Wood and court-martialed for the original charges and the additional charge of desertion. The charge of communicating indecent language to a child was withdrawn and dismissed after the victim declined to participate.
The alleged 2024 child pornography misconduct is being reviewed for a possible referral for a second trial by court-martial.
This case involved a fugitive who was on the run for over three years and his conviction would not have been possible without the partnership and working relationship with the authorities from the United Kingdom.
“The Army is dedicated to seeing cases through to the end despite Spc. Board’s attempts to evade justice and the challenges of time and distance. This truly was a collaborative effort and a showing of cohesion between the Unit, OSTC, Army CID and the United Kingdom,” said Capt. Derek Sanchez, prosecutor, Fourth Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
“This conviction highlights the strength of the partnership we’ve built with our international law‑enforcement counterparts, particularly the United Kingdom Metropolitan Police. Spc. Board believed he could outrun and evade justice by fleeing to another country, but he underestimated the close cooperation Army CID maintains with our UK partners,” said Special Agent in Charge John McCabe of Army CID’s Mid Central Field Office. “Let this serve as a reminder to anyone who thinks they can escape accountability by crossing borders.”
Board will serve his confinement at the Midwest Joint Regional Confinement Facility, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
This case was investigated by Army CID’s Fort Leonard Wood Resident Agency, and prosecuted by Sanchez and Capt. Mason Doerr, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 1st Engineer Brigade.
About the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel: The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is composed 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 worldwide, including locations in Europe and Korea. For more information visit http://www.army.mil/ostc.
To Report a Crime: 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 http://www.p3tips.com/armycid.
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2026 14:44 |
| Story ID: | 569564 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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