Have You Seen This Grenade-Stealing, C-4 Packing, Fugitive Sailor Who Escaped 15 Years Ago Today?

 Geoff Ziezulewicz at the Navy Times offers a piece on an armed and dangerous sailor fugitive. 

Fifteen years ago today, James T. Praefke ditched his escort and escaped from Navy custody after being sentenced to hard time at Naval Brig Puget Sound, Washington.

The electronics mate 1st class remains on the lam to this day, and he is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s longest-running active fugitive investigation.

Now, NCIS is asking if you’ve seen him.

Authorities discovered a M33 fragmentation grenade in Praefke’s bag during a customs inspection as he returned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, from an Afghanistan deployment in February 2005.

“Later searches led to the discovery of military grade C-4 explosive,” NCIS said in their latest appeal for help in locating the fugitive former sailor.

Praefke had been serving as a command logistics petty officer, in charge of packing items for transport to and from Afghanistan. He went to trial later that year and was convicted at general court-martial in October 2005 and sentenced to more than three years in the brig for unlawful possession of explosives, larceny of ammunition and for making false official statements, according to NCIS.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/11/13/have-you-seen-this-grenade-stealing-c-4-packing-fugitive-sailor-who-escaped-15-years-ago-today/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%2011.16.20&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief