2017 Army retiree tried by court-martial for preretirement offenses in Hawaii, Florida

Here's the Army's announcement:

A retired Soldier, recalled to active duty, was sentenced on Wednesday by a military judge to 108 months of confinement for the sexual abuse of a minor.

Staff Sgt. William Rivers, 55, pled guilty and will serve 80 months based on terms of a plea agreement. In addition to the prison term, the military judge reduced Rivers to the rank of private E-1 and imposed a bad conduct discharge.

Rivers sexually abused his stepdaughter over multiple years in Hawaii and Florida before he retired from the military in 2017. He was recalled to active duty specifically for the purpose of this general court-martial.

Rivers was arrested at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, by the Army Criminal Investigation Division in December 2023 where he was working as a contractor. During the course of the investigation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service obtained evidence where Rivers admitted to sexually abusing the victim for several years across multiple duty locations.

On May 8, Rivers plead guilty to five specifications of sexual abuse of a child. He has remained in custody near Fort Moore since his arrest in December 2023 in South Korea.

“The outcome of this case shows that the Army will pursue justice even after an offender retires from the service,” said Maj. Steven Poland, lead prosecutor, Second Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.

“While the process may take a significant amount of time and resources, it is important for victims to know that we will do everything in our power to hold their abusers accountable for their actions. The victim in this case was strong and patient, I am glad she was able to seek justice and hope she continues to heal.”

“Mr. Rivers deserves to be brought to justice for his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Tim Mahew of the NCIS Far East Field Office. “NCIS and our partners remain committed to protecting innocent children in communities where our service members' families live and work.”

The investigation was conducted by the NCIS – Iwakuni, Japan Resident Agency, Army CID – Korea Field Office, and prosecuted by Maj. Steven Poland, Second Circuit, Army OSTC, with assistance from Maj. William Wicks, Third Circuit, Army OSTC, and Cpt. Scott Gronsky, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Moore, Ga.

Query: did the defense challenge court-martial jurisdiction over retirees? If not, why not? And why was the case not prosecuted by civilian authorities in Hawaii and Florida? Did they turn it down? Was there a statute of limitations problem? Some other reason?