AWOL serviceman, woman held at MacDill had fake IDs, guns

The guards at the Bayshore Boulevard gate at MacDill Air Force Base reacted quickly when the young man in the blue Honda CRV handed over his identification.

"To our trained security personnel, there was something not right about them," Col. Dave Cohen, Vice Wing Commander of the 6th Air Mobility Wing, said about the Monday night incident.

The ID, it turns out, was fake. The man and a woman in the passenger seat - who have been identified as Spc. Christopher Paul Kilburn of Fort Riley, Kan., and Micah Noel Goodier of Palm Beach - were ordered out of the Honda and an explosives ordnance team was brought in.

A robotic device found no explosives, but security did find three military-style rifles, three handguns and ammunition, Cohen said. They also found military clothing and other military-style equipment in the Honda and soon discovered the man was absent without leave from his military unit.

Kilburn is charged with desertion and will be turned over to Army authorities, according to a MacDill news release. Additional charges are pending as the investigation continues. Goodier will face charges pending a decision by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Military officials are releasing few details about the case, including any possible explanation offered by the pair, but stressed that the incident did not appear to be terrorism-related. Thanks to the quick response by security, Cohen said, the base was never in danger.

"Let me make one thing very, very clear," he said. "At no point was MacDill Air Force Base breached. It worked exactly as it was supposed to."

Investigators don't know the relationship between Kilburn and Goodier, who are both in their 20s, Cohen said. The two have been questioned since Monday night by base security and are "generally" cooperative, but authorities still aren't sure of their motive, he said.

Investigators do not know whether Kilburn or Goodier -- who are both U.S. citizens -- have ever been on, or tried to get on, MacDill before, Cohen said. He said investigators do not know whether they have tried to approach other military installations.

Cohen said the vehicle, which is not registered in Florida, is believed to be the Kilburn's.

All gates to the base reopened as normal Tuesday morning.

This is the third incident in two months at the base gates.

Last month, a U.S. Army veteran who was a guest at the base was fatally shot by an off-duty FBI agent after an altercation. A Vietnam veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder raised a knife at the agent, who then fatally shot the man, investigators said. The FBI has yet to release the results of a report on that incident.

In April, the Dale Mabry Highway gate was closed for several hours after a Dodge Intrepid, driven by an apparently impaired driver, ignored orders to turn off his ignition, officials said. He backed the Dodge into the car behind it then continued through the gate before being stopped by security barriers, officials said. The vehicle's four occupants were arrested.

Dedicated in 1941, MacDill Air Force Base is on 5,767 acres at the south end of Tampa's Interbay peninsula. It plays an integral role in national security. It is home to Central Command, Special Operations Command, the 6th Air Mobility Wing, the 927th Air Refueling Wing and other mission partners.