JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — An Army staff sergeant assigned to special forces at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is under investigation for allegedly trying to sell high-tech military combat gear online.
Staff Sgt. Christopher Erickson’s home in Frederickson was searched by agents from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. KIRO 7 obtained the warrant after it was filed in federal court in Tacoma.
The warrant states agents found evidence Erickson, 33, allegedly tried to sell a laser night vision gunsight known as a Skeetir on the website gunbroker.com. The sight was up for bidding and listed for sale at more than $13,000 according to the warrant. The Army pays more than $10,000 for each Skeetir it purchases.
The Skeetir mounts on small arms such as rifles for use in combat and can also be mounted on helmets. It uses a class 3 laser targeting system which is illegal for purchase by civilians.
It’s not clear if Erickson has been charged in connection with the allegations. A woman at the home searched told a KIRO 7 crew he was not home and refused to comment on the case. A call to the Army’s CID public affairs office was not returned.