CARLI BROSSEAU

An Air National Guardsman was arrested Wednesday in Phoenix on suspicion of stealing metal from the border fence and selling it, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman said.
Master Sgt. Robert J. Kelley, 48, of the Wyoming Air National Guard was charged in Phoenix with theft of government property, Sandy Raynor said.
Kelley is accused of driving the metal from the border near Sonoita to Tucson in a government-owned dump truck while wearing his National Guard uniform, Raynor said.
He sold at least five loads of metal for more than $8,000, which he later spent on a pistol, a garage door opener, cowboy boots and tools, she said.
The alleged thefts took place between December 2007 and March 2008 while Kelley was working on Operation Jump Start, Raynor said.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both, she said.
A Wyoming National Guard spokeswoman, Deidre Forster, said Kelley was still a National Guard member. It was not clear whether he was on leave.