Military / Crime
Army Aviator Convicted of Rape at Fort Rucker; First Victim Assaulted at NAS Pensacola
A military jury sentenced Warrant Officer Dawson Van Manen to 31 years in prison after convicting him of raping two women—one of them at a Navy Lodge on NAS Pensacola property.
An Army helicopter pilot has been found guilty of raping two women and sentenced to 31 years in federal military prison following a court-martial that concluded April 29 at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Warrant Officer Dawson Van Manen, 27, assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment, was also dishonorably discharged and ordered to forfeit all pay and allowances. He will serve his sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and will be required to register as a sex offender upon release.
The Pensacola Connection
The case has direct ties to Northwest Florida. The first victim met Van Manen through the dating app Bumble and encountered him in person for the first time at a Pensacola bar. He then assaulted her at the Navy Lodge & Suites at Naval Air Station Pensacola in August 2024.
Investigators discovered Van Manen had created a Bumble profile under the false name “2nd Lt. David Johnson” and used the first name “David” when checking into the Navy Lodge—deliberately concealing his true identity from his victim.
A nurse who treated the victim testified during trial that her injuries were the worst she had seen in her career.
A Second Victim Steps Forward
Shortly after the first report, Van Manen’s estranged wife came forward to Army CID with her own account. She told investigators that in December 2023, while the couple was living in Ozark, Alabama near Fort Rucker, Van Manen became violent after she refused his sexual advances—threatening her life, restraining her with duct tape, and recording the assault on video. After the attack, she called her sister in fear for her life.
Violations Continued Under Investigation
Even while under criminal investigation in June 2025, Van Manen violated a commander’s order to remain on post and was separately caught by his roommate in possession of anabolic steroids—a Schedule III controlled substance—which added additional charges to his conviction.
The investigation was led by Army CID’s Fort Rucker and Eglin Resident Units, with support from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at NAS Pensacola.
