Explosive device stolen from Army base in Missouri, $5,000 reward offered

An explosive device was stolen from Fort Leonard Wood, and the Army is now offering a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division said late last month that it is offering a $5,000 reward for the recovery of the device.

The demolition shaped charge was last seen Nov. 7 at the ammunition supply point at the Missouri military installation, about 140 miles southwest of St. Louis.

A demolition shaped charge is an explosive built as a particular shape in order to focus the force and effects of a resulting blast.

The missing device was specifically a “Department of Defense Identification Code M421” from “Lot #: ITH85F001-004,” the Army Criminal Investigation Division said.

The Criminal Investigation Division told KOZL-TV that the device is typically used to bore or blast holes in tough materials or surfaces, such as roads, masonry, reinforced concrete, and steel.