Man accused of stealing WWII dog tags from National Archives

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — A Virginia National Guard sergeant is accused of stealing World War II-era dog tags from the National Archives and Records Administration research facility in Maryland.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court last month says 29-year-old Robert Rumsby, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, told investigators he took dog tags that belonged to four U.S. airmen killed in plane crashes in 1944.

Rumsby’s wife is the great niece of one of the deceased airmen. Rumsby said he gave that airman’s dog tags to his wife’s grandmother as a Christmas gift and gave another airman’s dog tags to a relative of that serviceman.

The complaint charges Rumsby with theft of government property. He has an Aug. 14 trial date.

Rumsby declined to be interviewed this week.