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Family hides from fugitive
by Jessie Stensland

http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=84&cat=23&id=534378&more=

An Oak Harbor family is in hiding after a Navy electrician
escaped from a brig at Navy Base Kitsap Bangor.
James Tait Praefke, 37, disappeared while he was
helping a guard retrieve lunch for fellow inmates. Lt.
Cmdr. John Daniels, public affairs officer for Navy
Region Northwest, said the guard simply lost sight
of him.
Praefke, a former petty officer 1st Class with VAQ-133
at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, was in the military
jail for smuggling a grenade home from Afghanistan. In
a “wanted” notification, the Naval Criminal Investigative
Service states that he should be considered dangerous,
noting that he has a history of weapon use, bomb making,
as well as pro-militia and anti-government sentiment.
Praefke’s soon-to-be-ex-wife, Keran Praefke, was home in Navy housing when she got a
call from a Navy official Sunday night. The Navy moved the family to an undisclosed
location for their safety.
Keran said in a phone interview Monday that she was scared, but she was trying to
“keep it together” for the sake of her four children.
“I know he’s dangerous,” she said. “I had a fear this would happen.”
While Praefke was convicted for stealing explosives, Keran pointed out that there’s a
lot more to the story. She goes so far as to call him a terrorist, though an NCIS
spokesman disagreed. George Roberts said Praefke had some interest in militias, but
he’s done “nothing you would use the ‘T’ word to describe.”
“We can’t specifically say how dangerous he may or may not be,” Daniels said.
Kim Martin, public affairs officer at NAS Whidbey, said Praefke was court-martialed
this fall and pleaded guilty to unlawfully taking an explosive device onto a
government aircraft, unlawful storage of explosives and larceny of government
property.
He was acquitted of charges of indecent acts with a child and two counts of assault
of a child.
For Praefke’s wife and stepchildren, the ordeal began last August. After Praefke was
sent to Afghanistan, NCIS began an investigation into whether he had sexually
assaulted a young girl.
Keran said investigators searched her husband’s storage facility and discovered C-4
plastic explosives, a large amount of ammunition and gas masks marked with her
children’s names. She said he had elaborate writings and sketches detailing some sort
of plans.
Praefke returned to the Navy base last February. While he was going through Customs
at a hangar on base, a bomb-sniffing dog alerted on his bag. The hangar was
immediately evacuated. Investigators searched his bag and found a live grenade.
He also has a history of domestic violence, according to NCIS.
Both James and Keran Praefke were interviewed by News-Times reporters in the last
year and a half, but for very different reasons.
Before he went to Afghanistan last year, Praefke described how he prepared for the
deployment. He said he returned from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he received extra
weapons training. He’s proficient with crew-handled weapons including .50-caliber
machine guns and grenade launchers. Praefke also trained for emergencies, including
chemical attack.
“We prepare for the worst case scenario,” Praefke said.
Earlier this month, Keran Praefke contacted the newspaper because she was being
kicked out of Navy housing, by the private management company, without any notice. It
turned out that the company, American Eagle, allowed her family to stay for another
month.
At the time, Praefke said she was looking forward to getting back to a normal life
after a year of unpleasant investigations and ugly court hearings. She thought she
probably would have to move to her mother’s house because she couldn’t find
affordable housing in Oak Harbor.
Now she doesn’t know when life will ever be back to normal.
“I’m scared,” she said. “I don’t know what he’s thinking or what he’s going to do.”
Keran believes her husband planned the escape and may have had help from people on
the outside.
Daniels, however, said investigators don’t know if Praefke planned to become a
fugitive and they have no reason to believe that he had helped, though they’re not
ruling out the possibility. He did not steal a Navy vehicle since they are all
accounted for on the base. As of Tuesday, investigators had few leads.
Daniels said officials at the brig are reviewing their security procedures.
Praefke was wearing desert camouflage when he escaped. He is described as six-foot,
three-inches, 220 pounds with green eyes and red hair. He has an alias of James
Krueger.

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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all *****-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.

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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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