2 arrested with arsenal and Nazi paraphernalia after base robbery were ex-military, prosecutors say

SEATTLE AP Two men arrested in Washington state with an arsenal that included grenade launchers and body armor along with Nazi paraphernalia were former military members who attacked a soldier with a hammer while stealing gear from Joint Base Lewis-McChord last weekend investigators say Levi Austin Frakes and Charles Ethan Fields were arrested Monday night at their home in Lacey near Olympia according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U S District Court Federal court records did not list an attorney for either man One of the defendants described investigators they had been stealing equipment from the base for the past two years to sell or bargain and agents ascertained about in cash at the home wrote Special Agent Christopher J Raguse of the Army Criminal Review Division The federal complaint charges them with robbery assault and theft of authorities property They also face inspection on state charges of unlawful possession of incendiary devices short-barreled rifles and a machine gun Each was being held at the Pierce County Jail on bail According to the complaint a soldier entered a building at the Army Ranger compound at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Sunday night and ascertained two men partially masked with a cluster of U S Army property around them The soldier questioned them about what they were doing and notified them to pull down their masks which they did A fight ensued and one of the men brandished a hammer and struck the soldier in the head The soldier continued to fight despite losing a large amount of blood and managed to get control of the hammer at which point one of the men pulled a knife The soldier then let them go the complaint mentioned During the fight one of the men dropped his hat It noted Fields on the inside Using base entry logs and surveillance video investigators determined that Fields and Frakes had entered Lewis-McChord together about an hour before the attack investigators revealed Additionally the wounded soldier who required hospital cure stated investigators that he requested around his unit about the name Fields after finding it on the hat The soldier learned that Fields had been assigned to the Ranger Battalion around and he was able to identify him as one of the attackers based on photos shown to him by others in his unit the complaint announced The complaint did not include details of Frakes military organization The FBI executed a search warrant at a home shared by the defendants on Monday and arrested them Agents identified rifles positioned at the upstairs windows the complaint announced Personnel declared agents seized about firearms at the home including short barrel rifles and an MG machine gun a type typically supported with a bipod and which was used by German troops during World War II Other seized gear included grenade launchers Army-issued explosives body armor ammunition and ballistic helmets government disclosed Photos from inside the home indicated Nazi paraphernalia including a red Nazi flag emblazoned with a black swastika Source