Milford ? Geary County Sheriff Jim Jensen is again concerned after a deputy discovered a pair of smoke-grenade launchers in the same area near Milford Lake where five military machine guns turned up two weeks ago.

The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division at nearby Fort Riley said the five guns had been marked for disposal. It said the launchers found Tuesday were not loaded, did not appear to be operational and were not in very good condition. They were also turned over to the Fort Riley officials.

“It appears that there is something in their system that needs to be looked into, and that is what I have been saying all along,” Jensen said. “Why are they appearing out here? Why aren’t they being destroyed?”

In a statement Thursday, the Army said there was no indication that the launchers, which it called smoke dispensers, were connected to the five weapons found earlier.

The launchers are normally mounted on the sides of armored vehicles, but the firing mechanisms are inside the vehicles. Fort Riley officials said they did not know how the equipment ended up near the lake, but said several units train in the area. The launchers are often knocked off of vehicles by heavy brush and trees and are not retrieved, the Army said.

The sheriff said the grenade launchers were off to the side of the road and had not been hidden.

“I have no idea how long they were out there,” Jensen said. “They could have been there the night before. They could have been there a few days.”

The five machine guns, an M-240, a 5.56 mm and three Browning .50-caliber guns, were found Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 near Madison Creek Bridge, three of them by area residents. The Army said last week the guns were not serviceable and were not illegally missing from any Fort Riley units.

The Army is investigating why the guns hadn’t been turned over to the agency responsible for disposal and how they ended up near the lake.

The sheriff said that if people come across anything looking like military weapons, they should call his department immediately and not attempt to handle them.

“These weapons may appear unserviceable, but if a proper gunsmith gets a hold of them or if somebody else wants to they could probably put them back to working condition,” he said.