Army Capt. Brandon Jones-Adams has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after admitting he secretly placed mifepristone in a drink consumed by a pregnant junior enlisted soldier at his home in Puyallup, Washington.
Captain Gets 12-Year Prison Sentence.
A military judge sentenced Jones-Adams to the maximum prison term allowed under his plea agreement. The agreement allowed a sentence between four and 12 years. Jones-Adams pleaded guilty to intentionally killing his unborn child, domestic violence, fraternization, and conduct unbecoming of an officer, officials said.
He also must forfeit all pay and allowances. His dismissal from the Army is a punitive discharge for commissioned officers, similar to a dishonorable discharge for enlisted service members. The case was handled at the Cascade Court Complex at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Jones-Adams was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 23rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, Multi-Domain Command-Pacific.
Victim Was Junior Enlisted Soldier
The victim was a junior enlisted soldier assigned to JBLM when she met Jones-Adams in November 2024, officials said. The two began a consensual relationship while assigned to the same battalion. Their relationship continued during a nine-month rotation to South Korea.
Drinking at Puyallup Home Led To Hospital Visit
The incident happened on the morning of August 21, 2025, at Jones-Adams’ home in Puyallup, officials said. Jones-Adams poured the victim a drink. After she consumed it, she noticed residue in her cup and immediately suspected he had placed a drug in it.
Soon afterward, she developed severe cramping. The victim went to the emergency room at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and told hospital staff what she believed had happened. Officials said she miscarried there in her 13th week of pregnancy.
Mifepristone Detail Drove National Attention
Mifepristone is used with misoprostol in medication abortion. The FDA says the drug blocks progesterone, a hormone needed for pregnancy to continue. The medication is approved, with misoprostol, to end an intrauterine pregnancy through 10 weeks of gestation. Federal guidance states that mifepristone is used through 10 weeks (70 days or less) from the first day of the patient’s last menstrual period.
The victim in this case was at 13 weeks, officials said. The Army described the case as a secret, nonconsensual act against a pregnant soldier, not a lawful medication abortion. Michele Starostka, special agent in charge of Army CID’s Western Field Office, said Jones-Adams’ conduct violated the victim’s trust and autonomy “in the most personal way.”
Army Prosecutors Cited Officer Misconduct
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel prosecuted the case. The office handles serious criminal offenses involving soldiers, including domestic violence, murder, sexual assault, child abuse, kidnapping, and other major crimes. Lt. Col. Tyler Heimann, circuit chief for the Sixth Circuit of the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, said Jones-Adams deliberately harmed the victim and betrayed his role as an officer.
Case Arrives During Abortion Pill Debate
The case landed during a continuing national fight over mifepristone access, online prescribing, and mail delivery of abortion medication.
The FDA has been reviewing the drug’s safety, and federal litigation over distribution rules remains active. In June 2026, federal officials were reviewing mifepristone safety as political pressure continued from both abortion opponents and abortion-rights advocates.
The Army case focuses on different facts. Investigators said Jones-Adams used deception to obtain the drug and secretly administered it without the victim’s knowledge or consent. No public statement from the victim has been released. Jones-Adams now faces confinement, forfeited pay, dismissal from the Army, and transfer into the military prison system after one of the most serious domestic violence cases prosecuted at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
