FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – A military jury found Staff Sgt. Kapono W. Alo, 36, guilty of rape and sexual assault at the conclusion of his court-martial March 27 at the Fort Leonard Wood Courtroom.
Alo, a military police officer with C Company, 787th Military Police Battalion, 14th Military Police Brigade, was sentenced by the military judge to 3 and ½ years in prison, reduction in rank to E-1 and a dishonorable discharge from the Army.
On April 30, 2023, Alo went to a local dance club in Waynesville, Mo., where he ran into other soldiers from the installation, to include his supervisor who was a senior drill sergeant and her wife. Eventually, the group of soldiers returned to his supervisor’s home for an after-party.
At the end of the evening, Alo was too intoxicated to drive home, so while his supervisor was escorting other guests out of the house, her wife led Alo upstairs to a guest bedroom so he could sleep and sober up.
While upstairs, the wife began to set-up a futon when Alo proceeded to sexually assault and rape her.
When the victim had the opportunity to leave the room, she reported the incident to other friends still in the home, who in turn called 911. Local law enforcement responded along with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
At the time of the incident, Alo was a drill sergeant and had never previously met the victim before that evening.
Prior to his trial, Alo pleaded guilty to extramarital sexual conduct.
The successful prosecution of this case highlights the close collaboration between the prosecution team and law enforcement.
“This was a just outcome and speaks volumes for our system,” said Capt. Corey Lesser, prosecutor, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood. “Our successful prosecution of this case would not have been possible without such a strong survivor, and we hope the result helps her find peace.”
“The jury gave their utmost attention and judicious care throughout a demanding week of trial including difficult and emotionally charged testimony,” said Capt. Rachel Rose, prosecutor, Fourth Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. “Their verdict reflects both the strength of the evidence and the courage of the victim.”
“This conviction illustrates the importance of our mission to protect Army families and uncover the truth,” said Army CID Midcentral Field Office Special Agent in Charge John McCabe. “Army CID remains committed to working with law enforcement and prosecutors to pursue and hold accountable those who would prey on members of our Army community.”
Alo will serve his prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, 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.
This was a legacy case prior to the establishment of the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel and was referred to court-martial by the command. OSTC prosecutors provided pretrial and trial support for the case.
The case was prosecuted by Lesser and Rose and investigated by the Army CID Midcentral Field Office.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised 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 across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit https://www.army.mil/ostc.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2025 13:33 |
| Story ID: | 494594 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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