A senior enlisted leader at Fort Moore, Georgia has pleaded not guilty to a charge of domestic violence under the uniform code of military justice, said Michelle McCaskill, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
Since the start of 2024, each military branch has established its own special trial counsel’s office to prosecute serious criminal offenses including domestic violence, sexual assault, and murder.
On July 29, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel referred a charge of domestic violence against Sgt. Maj. Jaime I. Rubio, McCaskill told Task & Purpose on Tuesday. Rubio faces two specifications of Article 128b under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, she said.
Rubio is accused of hitting and trying to strangle a person on Dec. 24 at or near Fort Moore, according to a redacted copy of the charge sheet against him, which was provided to Task & Purpose. The name of the alleged victim was removed from the charge sheet.
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On Aug. 14, Rubio entered his not guilty plea at his arraignment, McCaskill said. He also chose to be tried before a panel, the military’s equivalent of a jury. The judge scheduled a pretrial hearing for Sept. 27 and set Nov. 11-15 as the trial dates.
“Rubio is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law,” McCaskill said.
Task & Purpose has been unable to reach Rubio or his defense attorney for comment. Military.com first reported that Rubio had been arraigned on the domestic violence charge.
Rubio was relieved as the command sergeant major of the 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment on March 25, “due to a loss of trust and confidence in his leadership ability,” said Maj. Chris Robinson, a spokesman for U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.
No further information was immediately available about why Rubio was fired. All the military branches use the “loss of confidence” euphemism to explain why commanding officers or senior enlisted leaders have been relieved. The vague phrase covers a wide range of misconduct including leadership failures to issues that are unrelated to their jobs, such as being arrested for drunken driving.
At least three other Army senior enlisted leaders have been fired recently: Command Sgt. Major Veronica E. Knapp, formerly of Joint Task Force-National Capital Region/United States Army Military District of Washington; Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Carlson, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade; and Command Sgt. Maj. Harold “Ed” Jarrell, the former senior enlisted leader for the Army’s 1st Information Operations Command, a brigade-level assignment.
Originally from Los Angeles, Rubio enlisted in the Army in 2004 and he went on to deploy in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Europe, according to his official biography.
Rubio’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for valor, Bronze Star Medal, Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with “V” device, six Army Commendation Medals, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, seven Army Achievement Medals, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Award, Army Superior Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (2 CS), Iraq Campaign Medal (1 CS), Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal (1 CS), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Over Seas Ribbon, NATO Medal, Basic Instructor Badge, Combat Action Badge, and Driver’s Badge (W&T), Gold Shutzenschnur.”
He also received an Army Commendation Medal for saving the life of a civilian while he was off duty; he is an Excellence in Armor awardee, he earned his Silver and Gold Spurs, and he was knighted into the esteemed Order of St. George as a recipient of the Black and Bronze Medallions.