Fort Hood Soldier Pleads Not Guilty in Stolen C4 Case

A soldier accused of attempting to sell an explosive stolen from Fort Hood plead not guilty Thursday in federal court.

23-year-old Spc. Tyler Glen Patrick of Copperas Cove waived his right to appear at an arraignment hearing in Waco but entered his plea of not guilty to a charge of possession and transportation of stolen explosive material.

Patrick was arrested on December 17 after investigators say he tried to sell a one-and-a-quarter pound block of C4 explosive stolen after field exercises on Fort Hood.

He faces up to a decade in prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted. U.S. District Judge Walter Smith signed an order Wednesday stating that Patrick has until March 3 to agree to any plea bargain offered him. If he does not change his plea and accept a bargain before then, he will be re-arraigned on March 6 and his trial will begin on March 17.

Patrick is currently out of jail on $25,000 bond.