JACKSON, TN – Authorities say a soldier has been indicted on charges of stealing and selling military weapons from an Army base.
According to investigators, Private 1st Class Joshua B. Etherton, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has been charged in a two count indictment for Illegal Possession of Military Ordnan. Etherton is accused of stealing a M72A3 Antitank Rocket and four M67 Hand Grenades from Fort Campbell.
Paris, Tennessee police say they received a tip about the weapons and then contacted the ATF. Investigators conducted an undercover operation, in which Etherton tried to sell the weapons to ATF agents, authorities said.
Officials with the ATF, Paris Police Department, Henry County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Army held a news conference announcing the indictment at the Federal Building in Jackson, Tennessee, Thursday, October 1, 2009.
According to the Department of Justice, Etherton faces up to 20 years in federal prison and up to a $500,000 fine if he is found guilty of the charges. Proceedings have begun to discharge Etherton from his military service.
