Stuart Adcock, the former Fort Benning sniper who pleaded guilty in August to keeping illegal grenades in his Columbus apartment, was sentenced Monday to two years’ probation.

Adcock’s fiancee, who pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about the explosives, was sentenced to a year’s probation.

Supporters of Adcock cried when U.S. District Court Judge Clay Land said he intended to give probation to the world marksmanship finalist who admitted to transporting explosive materials without a license. Land emphasized that Adcock, who said he loved collecting guns, will never again be able to legally possess firearms or ammunition.

“Honestly, it was a souvenir,” said Adcock, 23, of the fragmentation grenade, flashbang grenade and military-grade flares. “Honestly, I thought the flare would be a fun Fourth of July. I didn’t realize how serious it was.”

Megan Wencel, Adcock’s 21-year-old fiancee, apologized Monday for hiding the explosives in woods near Adcock’s apartment.

“I know it was wrong for me to cover up something for him,” she added.

Adcock faced a maximum two-year prison sentence for taking a fragmentation grenade to North Carolina, his home state, and then returning with it to Columbus. Wencel faced a maximum six-month sentence for making false statements.

Authorities charged Adcock in January, a week before his scheduled deployment to Afghanistan. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mel Hyde said the charges stemmed from the December 2010 trip to North Carolina, where he asked someone to store the grenade.

That person refused, and Adcock returned to Columbus with the grenade, Hyde said.

In January, FBI agents received a message from Matthew D. Black, Adcock’s estranged brother-in-law, who claimed he’d seen Adcock with the grenade. He also claimed Adcock had blocks of C4 explosives and flashbang grenades in his apartment, court documents state.

Adcock initially denied having explosives and agreed to a search of his apartment, authorities said.

As agents drove to his apartment, Adcock called Wencel and asked her to hide the explosives.

Authorities found nothing inside the home, though they later checked nearby woods where they’d seen Wencel walking. That’s where they found the grenades and flares.

On Monday, Land said he couldn’t reconcile Adcock with his brother-in-law. However, the judge said he wanted Adcock to know that Black and Adcock’s sister wrote a letter on his behalf and that the letter made an impact.

“Your brother-in-law did the right thing under the law,” Land said. “His duty was to have reported this once it came to his attention.”

Two soldiers and Wencel’s father spoke in court about Adcock before Land sentenced the former soldier.

“He’s always been very kind and generous to my daughter,” Mark Wencel said. “I did ask him what he was thinking. He did tell me he was collecting those things. He’s just a collector. He had no bad intentions at all.”

Both Adcock and Wencel now study accounting -- a dramatic career change for a soldier who deployed three times each to Iraq and Afghanistan, said defense attorney Franklin Hogue.

Sgt. Caleb Perkins, who commanded Adcock’s sniper section, said Adcock placed second in a worldwide sniper competition. Sgt. Matthias Huck Lamb, another of Adcock’s commanders, called Adcock a determined soldier who worked hard to achieve his goals.

“Ever since then, he’s done nothing but great things,” Lamb added.