Laptop with information about soldiers found; Lacey teen arrested

By VENICE BUHAIN | THE OLYMPIAN • Published July 11, 2008

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A 17-year-old Lacey boy faces a charge of suspicion of possession of stolen property after Tumwater police uncovered items from vehicle prowls, including a stolen Army laptop containing information about up to 900 Fort Lewis soldiers, police reported today.

The laptop, found among multiple items from a number of Lacey vehicle prowls, was returned to its owner Thursday, Tumwater police detective Jennifer Kolb said.

On July 4, an Army employee reported to Lacey police that someone had taken a laptop and a 500-gigabyte removable hard drive that he left on the seat of his unlocked Dodge truck overnight. The employee told police there was no classified, secret or top-secret information on the missing items.

But post spokeswoman Catherine Caruso said this week that officials were notifying soldiers out of concern that the case might put them at risk for identity theft.

Tumwater police say the laptop was recovered after a 17-year-old boy called police on July 5 to report that his wallet was stolen, Kolb said. The officers reportedly found marijuana in the boy's possession and obtained a search warrant for his car, she said. Officers allegedly found stolen property and arrested the boy on suspicion of first-degree possession of stolen property, possession of less than 40 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, she said.

A 20-year-old woman who was with the boy also was arrested on suspicion of possession of more than 40 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, Kolb said.

The next day, Tumwater police searched a Lacey residence where the boy was staying and reportedly found more property from a number of Lacey vehicle prowls , Kolb said. The property included financial documents, identification, credit cards, checkbooks, cameras, cell phones and golf clubs.

Lacey and Tumwater police worked on identifying the owners of the recovered properties, Kolb said.

Caruso told The News Tribune newspaper in Tacoma this week that the Army employee was working on a project regarding a particular unit at a location other than his office.

She said "it would be inappropriate to speculate" about what potential disciplinary action the worker might face if he is found to have broken security rules.

She said the Army began notifying affected soldiers through e-mail and phone calls. They'll get follow-up letters, she added.

Since the theft, post officials have set new training requirements for military personnel and prepared a memo for each employee to sign outlining safeguarding and reporting requirements, she said.

The employee, a civilian military personnel specialist, appears to have violated Army standards and policies for protecting personal information and government property, Army officials have said.