Army sergeant caught on camera abusing child pleads guilty during trial at Fort Hood

FORT HOOD, Texas – An Army sergeant caught on a Ring camera striking a young child pleaded guilty to domestic violence during his court-martial Oct. 7 a… FORT HOOD, Texas – An Army sergeant caught on a Ring camera striking a young child pleaded guilty to domestic violence during his court-martial Oct. 7 at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center. Sgt. Paul A. Thames, an automated logistics specialist assigned to the 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, was sentenced by the military judge to one year in prison and a bad conduct discharge from the Army. The judge gave him 181 days of confinement credit for time served prior to his trial.

On the evening of Jan. 16, 2026, Thames was babysitting his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son at her apartment in Waco, Texas, when he was caught by a neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera punching the boy multiple times, then picking him up by the head and neck. The neighbor immediately notified the Waco Police Department and officers responded to the scene, taking Thames into custody. During his interview with a detective with the Waco Police Department, Thames admitted he went overboard while disciplining the child. When addressing the judge in court, Thames confessed to using excessive force when striking the 3-year-old. “This case represented holding a Soldier