WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – A Soldier caught in a law enforcement sting operation pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually abuse children during his court-martial July 16 at the Wheeler Army Airfield Courtroom.
Spc. Dominick D. Peterson, 23, a transportation management coordinator assigned to the 25th Division Sustainment Troops Battalion, 25th Division Sustainment Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, was sentenced by the military judge to three years in prison, reduction in rank to E-1, and a bad conduct discharge from the Army.
A multi-agency law enforcement operation on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, called Operation Keiki Shield, was created to identify, locate and arrest offenders who commit internet-facilitated sex crimes against children.
In late September 2025, Peterson used a dating application to communicate with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old child, but who was in reality a law enforcement officer investigating online exploitation of children.
Over the course of two days, Peterson sent numerous text messages to sexually entice the purported 15-year-old, including a photograph of his exposed genitalia. During their conversations, Peterson communicated with another fictitious victim, an investigator playing the role of a 14-year-old child.
Peterson arranged to meet the agents, who he believed to be children, at a predesignated location where he was subsequently arrested by agents with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. During the search of his vehicle, investigators found Peterson had brought with him bottles of lotion, baby oil and five unopened condoms.
“Investigations like these prevent harm before it occurs. We will work endlessly to identify and convict those who exploit or attempt to exploit children,” said Capt. Matthew McCoy, prosecutor, Seventh Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
“Peterson’s guilty plea demonstrates that we are committed to holding servicemembers accountable for their actions on and off duty, protecting vulnerable populations and our communities," said Capt. Bryan Knighton, prosecutor, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 25th Infantry Division.
“Army CID will continue working alongside our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to identify, apprehend, and prosecute those who would attempt to exploit children,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Willets, Army CID’s Asia-Pacific Field Office.
Peterson will serve his prison sentence at the Midwest Joint Regional Confinement Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. 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.
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: | 07.31.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2026 15:36 |
| Story ID: | 571281 |
| Location: | WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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