New details in stolen rocket launcher case

Christopher Owens, 35, of Boonville, Missouri was charged yesterday with unlawful possession of an explosive substance and receiving stolen property after Howard County deputies say they caught him with a rocket launcher.

Court documents reveal that Owens told deputies on scene he knew the launcher was stolen. The documents say Owens had the launcher and 25 training rounds in the back of his car.

One of the rounds, according to court documents, was “altered,” and had a “PVC pipe around the base with fins located at the bottom.” There was also a cone with aluminum foil over the top of the PVC pipe.

All of the ammunition was disposed of via controlled explosion by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Bomb Squad and the Army 763rd Explosives Ordinance Disposal Company out of Fort Leonard Wood.

The launcher, according to Howard County deputies, is currently being stored as evidence.

The model of the launcher dates back to the Vietnam era, according to a sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood, and does not pose a threat to the public without explosive ammunition.