The U.S. Army has launched a formal investigation into how a civilian came to be living in a special operations barracks at a North Carolina base.
A spokesman on Tuesday confirmed that a 15-6 fact-finding investigation was underway in the matter involving a man who last month was found living in the barracks of the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg.
Capt. Douglas Ray, a spokesman for the group, confirmed that the investigation was ongoing but said he couldn't comment on how long the man had been in the barracks, what excuses he may have offered for being there, or why he had not been challenged previously.
Thomas McCollum, the garrison public affairs officer at Bragg, referred questions to the group but added, "This is a very unique and interesting situation."
The case came to light Dec. 16 when the group put out a statement saying that the man was taken into custody when troops "discovered a civilian living in a barracks building occupied by unit soldiers."
The statement said, "The Fort Bragg Provost Marshal was immediately contacted and the individual was detained by the military police. The situation is under investigation."
Two days later, Christina Douglas, Fort Bragg's chief of media relations, said the man had been released without charges.
At the time, Douglas said she couldn't give an explanation on why he had been released or the individual's current whereabouts. She also said she could not comment on how he gained and maintained access to the base, or what his purpose may have been in residing there because of the continuing investigation. The Fayetteville Observer reported that he may have posed as a soldier.
Local news reports, citing social media, speculated that the man may have been living on base for as long as eight months while claiming to be on a special training mission.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@military.com.
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