Worker at Air Base Charged in Theft

A civilian warehouse worker at Edwards Air Force Base was charged Wednesday with receiving stolen property after Air Force and sheriff’s investigators raided his Lancaster home and found stolen military uniforms and supplies, authorities said.

Gerald Flax, 38, was free on $5,000 bond after his arrest Tuesday when investigators from the sheriff’s gang unit and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations served a search warrant at his home. They recovered camouflage fatigues, boots and first aid kits, according to Sheriff’s Deputy Pat Hunter.

No military weapons were recovered during the search, which also turned up a sawed-off shotgun and a small quantity of drugs, deputies said.

Investigators believe Flax was stealing materials from the warehouse and selling them, deputies said. Air Force officials refused to comment, saying the investigation is continuing.

The sheriff’s gang unit was involved because Flax apparently had contact with gang members, Hunter said. Deputies are trying to determine whether gang members were involved in the theft or the sale of the military property, he said.

Flax was charged with receiving stolen property, a felony, because it appears difficult to prove that he stole the materials, deputies said.