FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Roughly five months before his arrest, former Army Sgt. 1st Class Namon L. Bledsoe appeared in uniform at a youth outreach event at a Rock Island, Illinois, high school, participating in a program designed to introduce students to military service.
Newly released court-martial records now provide the most complete picture to date of the criminal case against Bledsoe, a senior noncommissioned officer convicted in August 2025 at a general court-martial for producing child sexual abuse material.
The records, obtained by The Salty Soldier through a Freedom of Information Act request, include Bledsoe’s charge sheet, statement of trial results and final entry of judgment. Together, they outline the full scope of allegations initially pursued by Army prosecutors and clarify how the military case was resolved, while related felony charges remain pending in Rock Island County, Illinois.
Photographs on Bledsoe’s social media accounts show him participating in the “First 100 Yards” event at Alleman Catholic High School in May 2024, wearing his uniform and appearing in an official Army capacity. The event was hosted by First Army soldiers from Rock Island Arsenal in partnership with the school.
Guilty plea and sentence at general court-martial
On Aug. 27, 2025, Bledsoe pleaded guilty before a military judge at Fort Leavenworth to one specification of producing child pornography in violation of Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The offense involved knowingly producing sexually explicit videos of a minor, conduct deemed prejudicial to good order and discipline and discrediting to the armed forces.
The military judge sentenced Bledsoe to 18 months of confinement and a dishonorable discharge. The sentence was imposed under the terms of a negotiated plea agreement.
A final judgment was entered on Sept. 16, 2025, formally concluding the trial-level proceedings. The case was then forwarded for mandatory appellate review, a routine process required in cases involving a dishonorable discharge and confinement exceeding one year.
Court records do not indicate that Bledsoe has filed a substantive appeal challenging either his guilty plea or conviction.
Additional charges dismissed under plea agreement
While the court-martial resulted in a single conviction, military records show that Bledsoe initially faced a broader slate of charges, including multiple specifications under Article 120b, which governs sexual offenses involving children.
The charge sheet lists multiple specifications under Article 120b, including allegations that Bledsoe:
- Sexually assaulted a child under the age of 16 by penetration on multiple occasions
- Engaged in lewd acts involving indecent exposure
- Sent sexually explicit messages to a minor
- Recorded and shared sexually explicit videos involving a minor
Those Article 120b charges were dismissed without prejudice, contingent on appellate completion, as part of the plea agreement.
In military justice, this language does not mean the allegations were found untrue or unsupported. It means the government agreed not to pursue those charges so long as the guilty plea and conviction remain intact on appeal. If the conviction were overturned, the dismissed charges could legally be reinstated.
The dismissals were procedural — not exonerations — and reflect a negotiated resolution rather than a factual determination in Bledsoe’s favor.
According to the military charge sheet, prosecutors alleged that between late July and early September 2024, Bledsoe engaged in indecent conduct involving two related minors. One specification alleged that Bledsoe sent a sexually explicit video to a minor victim that depicted Bledsoe engaging in sexual activity with the victim’s sister, conduct the government described as obscene and prejudicial to good order and discipline.
That allegation was charged under Article 120b, UCMJ, as indecent conduct involving a child. It was among several specifications dismissed without prejudice, contingent on appellate completion, as part of the plea agreement that resolved the court-martial.
Other dismissed specifications alleged that Bledsoe sent sexually explicit messages to a minor, intentionally exposed himself to a child through electronic communication, and engaged in repeated sexual acts with a minor under the age of 16 — conduct that formed the factual backdrop of the military prosecution.
The production of child sexual abuse material charge to which Bledsoe pleaded guilty involved knowingly recording sexually explicit conduct involving a minor, a violation of Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
While only one specification resulted in a conviction, the court-martial records portray alleged conduct involving multiple minors, recorded sexual activity, and dissemination of explicit material, underscoring the gravity of the case and providing important context for the pending civilian prosecution in Illinois.
The newly released records also clarify details that were previously unknown or unconfirmed.
At the time of the offenses, Bledsoe was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First U.S. Army, based at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. The misconduct described in both military and civilian records occurred in or near Moline, Illinois, placing the alleged offenses squarely within the jurisdiction of the pending Rock Island County case.
Bledsoe held the rank of Sergeant First Class (E-7) at the time of the offenses.
Civilian felony case remains pending in Illinois
Separate from the court-martial, Bledsoe remains charged in Rock Island County Circuit Court with six felony counts, including:
- Four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse (Class 2 felonies)
- Two counts of child pornography (Class X felonies)
Illinois charging documents allege that Bledsoe engaged in sexual penetration of a minor under 17 on multiple occasions in August and September 2024 and recorded the abuse, conduct that aligns closely with the military allegations.
A judge found probable cause for the charges in September 2024. Bledsoe was initially held without bond before later being released under strict pretrial conditions, including GPS monitoring, internet restrictions, and a prohibition on contact with minors.
Throughout 2025, prosecutors continued filing discovery disclosures, including forensic reports, lab analyses, and expert materials. The court also ordered a psychosexual evaluation by agreement of both parties, a step commonly associated with plea negotiations or sentencing preparation in sex-offense cases.
Despite the completed military prosecution, the Illinois case remains technically open. No trial date has been set, and the State’s Attorney’s Office has not yet responded to The Salty Soldier’s request for comment on whether it intends to proceed.
Gravity of conduct remains unchanged
The military conviction resolved only one count — producing CSAM — but the underlying conduct described in the records involves repeated sexual exploitation of a minor, recording of explicit acts, and communications intended to arouse or gratify sexual desire.
That the Army elected to resolve the case through a plea agreement does not diminish the seriousness of the allegations or the conduct admitted by Bledsoe under oath.Nor does the military conviction preclude state authorities from pursuing their own prosecution under Illinois law, where sentencing exposure is substantially higher than what was available at court-martial.
Under Illinois statute, Class X felonies — which include certain child pornography and aggravated sexual abuse offenses — carry mandatory prison sentences ranging from six to 30 years per count, with no possibility of probation. Judges must impose a term of incarceration within that range, and sentences may be ordered to run consecutively depending on the number of victims, acts, and recordings involved.
By contrast, sentencing authority at a court-martial is constrained by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the terms of any plea agreement. In Bledsoe’s case, the military prosecution resulted in an 18-month confinement sentence and a dishonorable discharge, a severe penalty within the military system but one that is comparatively limited in duration.
If convicted in state court, Bledsoe could face decades in prison, particularly if multiple Class X counts were sustained or ordered to run consecutively. Illinois law also imposes additional collateral consequences upon conviction, including long-term sex offender registration and post-release supervision requirements.
For that reason, military convictions in cases involving sexual exploitation of minors often resolve only part of the accused’s legal exposure, leaving state prosecutors to determine whether further punishment is warranted under civilian law.
Bledsoe is currently serving his military confinement sentence while the Illinois case remains in pretrial status. The State’s Attorney’s Office retains full discretion to proceed, dismiss, or otherwise resolve the civilian charges.
The Salty Soldier will continue seeking comment from state prosecutors and tracking developments in both jurisdictions.
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