CRESTVIEW — Explosives found Sunday near railroad tracks running through the city appear to have been stolen from the military, according to an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
“ATF is looking at a number of investigative leads that we are going to swiftly follow up on,” said ATF Special Agent Randy Beach on Wednesday. “We’re investigating to determine the source and origin of the items and how they were removed from military use and inventory.”
He said there is a potential for charges to be filed.
An Army 7th Special Forces soldier currently in jail awaiting trial on attempted murder charges is being investigated in connection with the explosives, the state Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed.
The explosives were found Sunday evening in a box on a railroad right-of-way near the tracks at Lloyd Street and appeared to have been recently hidden or stashed, Beach said.
They were “not rigged for detonation” and did not appear to have been placed with terroristic intent, according to Crestview Police Chief Tony Taylor.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed the explosives are C4, which is issued by the military, and that the soldier, Vaughn Pottle, 31, is being investigated. A cache of explosives were found in Pottle's Baker home on Dec. 29, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
Pottle has been in the Okaloosa County Jail since he was arrested Dec. 15 on domestic violence-related charges. Those charges have since been bumped up to attempted murder. He is scheduled to go on trial March 14.
Beach said the FBI, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division, the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service are all partnering with the ATF and the State Fire Marshal’s Office in the investigation.
C4 is stored at the 7th Special Forces Group cantonment on Eglin Air Force Base.
Calls to the group were directed to U.S. Army Special Forces Command, which had not immediately responded by Wednesday afternoon.
“At this point we can’t say definitely the source other than to say it’s military,” Beach said. “They appeared to have been recently hidden or stashed.”
Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie contributed to this report.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.