Federal prosecutors have charged a former National Guardsman with impersonating an Army master sergeant and stealing military equipment from Fort Gordon near Augusta.

Military police this week arrested 34-year-old Georgia resident Anthony Todd Saxon after getting a tip of a suspicious man dressed in full combat uniform on the base Tuesday.

Officials say Saxon was able to convince an army official to give him a laser sight used for military rifles. A search of his vehicle and backpack turned up the sight, a land mine and several non-lethal flash bang grenades used to subdue victims by emitting a blinding light.

Saxon did not enter a plea at a preliminary hearing in federal court. His lawyers requested more time to review the case.

Tags: explosives, Fort Gordon, military base, Fort Gordon Army Base, federal court, Anthony Todd Saxon, grenadesFBI investigation