Officer to face court martial

BISMARCK — A Minot Air Force Base officer accused of stealing a missile launch control device will face a court-martial, the military says.

Capt. Paul Borowiecki, who was a missile combat crew member assigned to the base’s 91st Missile Wing, is accused of taking the launch control device in July 2005, rather than destroying it as required when it was no longer in use.

The Air Force said he admitted the theft in May and returned the device, which had been placed over other code components inside an underground missile launch control center to detect tampering.

A hearing was held in September to determine whether Borowiecki would face a trial. A supervisor testified at the hearing that Borowiecki wanted the domino-size device as a souvenir.

Borowiecki is charged with dereliction of duty, making false official statements, wrongful appropriation of military property and mishandling of classified items in violation of federal law.

A trial date and location have not been set, said Andy Roake, a civilian spokesman for the Air Force at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Air Force said Borowiecki has been reassigned to a helicopter wing at Minot and is barred from classified material and Air Force computers.

The Air Force also said Borowiecki told officials that another officer had lied in saying he destroyed a launch component. That device remains missing. That other officer, whose name has not been released, has not been charged. The Air Force said it is handling the cases separately.

If convicted, Borowiecki could lose his officer commission and could be ordered to prison for a term determined by a military judge, the Air Force said.

The military said the incident led to changes in the way the Air Force destroys the launch devices after they are no longer in use.

Tags: court martial, military, borowiecki