Fort Sill Soldier Sentenced for Bringing Fake Bomb into Commander’s Office

OKLAHOMA CITY—Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, announced today that JAMES JOSEPH DABROWSKI, 28, of Lawton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in federal prison and to pay $19,563.45 in restitution for making a hoax regarding an explosive device that he brought inside Snow Hall on Fort Sill, located near Lawton, Oklahoma.

Dabrowski was a first lieutenant stationed at Fort Sill. According to court records and information from court proceedings, on April 21, 2011, Dabrowski carried a backpack to his commander’s office, located in Snow Hall, for a meeting. During the meeting, Dabrowski removed a box from his backpack, opened the box, and revealed a 60mm mortar shell improvised with an external clock, wires, and a liquid in a separate container. Snow Hall was immediately evacuated, and the military explosive ordinance disposal unit responded. It was later determined that the device did not contain explosive material. Dabrowski was indicted on June 22, 2011, and pled guilty on September 19, 2011.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Borden, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Stephens, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Captain Ahsan Nassar.