Police explosives taken http://www.fresnobee.com/localnews/story/0,1724,124612,00.html
Thieves steal dynamite and gunpowder near Auberry.
By Matthew Kreamer, Pablo Lopez And Kimi Yoshino
The Fresno Bee
(Published December 29, 1999)
With New Year's Eve rapidly approaching, police and sheriff's officials are
working around the clock to find 200 pounds of explosive material stolen
from a police bomb-squad bunker.
"We have a great concern, and we're not going to hide that concern," said
Fresno Police Chief Ed Winchester.
The stolen materiel - about 125 pounds of dynamite and the military
explosive C4, along with 75 pounds of gunpowder - is enough to destroy a
tall building, but only if put in the hands of someone who knows how to use
it.
"I don't want to minimize anything, 100 pounds is a hell of a lot of
explosives," said police Lt. Andy Hall. "If you're an engineer, you can take
down a high-rise with that. But if you put it all in a box and set it next to a
wall, it wouldn't do much other than to destroy some of that wall."
The explosives were stolen between Saturday and Monday from a small
concrete bunker near Auberry. Left behind were blasting caps needed to
detonate the explosives.
The timing of the thefts has heightened officials' fears.
"We're looking at increasing security for New Year's, and we're reassessing
our deployment in light of this," Winchester said. "We are taking a look at
potential targets within our city."
Investigators also are profiling suspects, including those with
anti-government views, Winchester said.
Despite the upcoming New Year's celebration and terrorist threats in other
major cities, Mayor Jim Patterson said Fresno has no plans to cancel any
celebrations. Still, City Council members were polled about whether to
continue with the events.
"There's no evidence presently that this explosives theft was targeted toward
Fresno," Patterson said. "We have not received the kind of direct warning
that was provided in Seattle."
Announcement of the theft came the same day that Seattle canceled a New
Year's celebration, citing a potential for terrorist activity.
Authorities in Fresno made clear that no threats of any kind have been made
here.
"We don't know if someone took these things with an intent to do
something or if they just took them and don't really know what they have,"
Pierce said.
No suspects had been identified Tuesday evening, but a task force including
the Fresno County Sheriff's Department, Fresno Police Department, Clovis
Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was
formed to investigate. The FBI has also offered assistance.
Mark Loizeaux, president of Controlled Demolition Incorporated in
Maryland, urged Fresnans not to overreact.
"It sounds like a juvenile or ill-informed effort to get something to play
with," said Loizeaux, whose company has demolished more than 1,200
buildings, including several Las Vegas casinos, and helped level the
wreckage of the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City.
"The people don't know what they were doing, or they certainly would have
taken the detonators. It sounds like a childish prank."
Loizeaux echoed Hall's assessment that the potential for damage depends
on the knowledge of the person who has the explosives.
"I could take down multistory structures with that, no problem, but all of
these explosives in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they're
doing is virtually worthless; it's really not going to do much damage," he
said. "The gasoline in your gas tank is technically more dangerous than this
product, because you can set it off with a match."
The bunker's contents weren't thought to be much of a threat by police,
either. The burglary was the first one at the bunker since it was built in the
early 1980s, Winchester said.
The bunker, which is halfway embedded in a hill, is about 8 feet wide, 12
feet long, and 10 feet high and made of reinforced concrete. The door is
heavy steel and has several locks.
The bunker has no alarm or power, but at least three levels of security,
Winchester and Pierce said. They would not elaborate on the security
measures, but the burglars first must pass a locked gate, then travel a quarter
mile on a winding dirt road.
The bunker also is surrounded by another chain-link fence with barbed
wire. Pierce said the burglars forced their way in through the fence, then got
past the locks on the bunker's steel door.
"It took some level of sophistication to get into the bunker," Pierce said,
noting the burglars left little or no physical evidence.
The burglars, however, also left sophisticated explosives in the bunker.
Pierce declined to elaborate.
Only three people have keys, and all have been accounted for.
The breach was discovered Monday afternoon by children playing nearby
who noticed the open gate, Pierce said.
In the early 1980s, Fresno County's public works department stored
explosives in the bunker and used them to carve out roads, Pierce said.
In 1986, the bunker was turned over to the Fresno County Sheriff's
Department. The Fresno Police Department took control of it in 1994 when
the two agencies began to use a single bomb squad under the command of
the Police Department. The squad also serves Fresno, Madera, Mariposa
and Kings counties.
The bomb squad uses the explosives to destroy ammunition, bombs and
explosives confiscated by local law enforcement.
Foothill residents concerned
Auberry residents contacted Tuesday said they didn't know the bomb
bunker existed. They, too, are concerned that the explosives may have fallen
into the wrong hands.
"We have some crazies up here," said Bud Olson, 55, referring to people
who don't agree with the U.S. government.
"What are they going to do with it?" asked Olson, a longtime Auberry
resident who teaches at Foothill Middle School. "Nothing, I hope."
Officials in Tuolumne County said they had a similar explosives theft last
month.
On Nov. 14, suspects stole about 100 pounds of stick dynamite from a
lumber company's storage facility in Standard, said Tuolumne County
Sheriff's Sgt. Allen Dahl.
"We have had dynamite thefts from time to time," Dahl said. The case is
still under investigation, and no suspects have been apprehended.
That doesn't make things easier for local investigators, who have asked for
the return of the explosives, Winchester said.
"I'd like to encourage whoever took the explosive materials to put them out
in a rural area somewhere and call us so we can come and get them."
The Fresno Bee staff writer Michael Baker contributed to this report.
Thieves steal dynamite and gunpowder near Auberry.
By Matthew Kreamer, Pablo Lopez And Kimi Yoshino
The Fresno Bee
(Published December 29, 1999)
With New Year's Eve rapidly approaching, police and sheriff's officials are
working around the clock to find 200 pounds of explosive material stolen
from a police bomb-squad bunker.
"We have a great concern, and we're not going to hide that concern," said
Fresno Police Chief Ed Winchester.
The stolen materiel - about 125 pounds of dynamite and the military
explosive C4, along with 75 pounds of gunpowder - is enough to destroy a
tall building, but only if put in the hands of someone who knows how to use
it.
"I don't want to minimize anything, 100 pounds is a hell of a lot of
explosives," said police Lt. Andy Hall. "If you're an engineer, you can take
down a high-rise with that. But if you put it all in a box and set it next to a
wall, it wouldn't do much other than to destroy some of that wall."
The explosives were stolen between Saturday and Monday from a small
concrete bunker near Auberry. Left behind were blasting caps needed to
detonate the explosives.
The timing of the thefts has heightened officials' fears.
"We're looking at increasing security for New Year's, and we're reassessing
our deployment in light of this," Winchester said. "We are taking a look at
potential targets within our city."
Investigators also are profiling suspects, including those with
anti-government views, Winchester said.
Despite the upcoming New Year's celebration and terrorist threats in other
major cities, Mayor Jim Patterson said Fresno has no plans to cancel any
celebrations. Still, City Council members were polled about whether to
continue with the events.
"There's no evidence presently that this explosives theft was targeted toward
Fresno," Patterson said. "We have not received the kind of direct warning
that was provided in Seattle."
Announcement of the theft came the same day that Seattle canceled a New
Year's celebration, citing a potential for terrorist activity.
Authorities in Fresno made clear that no threats of any kind have been made
here.
"We don't know if someone took these things with an intent to do
something or if they just took them and don't really know what they have,"
Pierce said.
No suspects had been identified Tuesday evening, but a task force including
the Fresno County Sheriff's Department, Fresno Police Department, Clovis
Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was
formed to investigate. The FBI has also offered assistance.
Mark Loizeaux, president of Controlled Demolition Incorporated in
Maryland, urged Fresnans not to overreact.
"It sounds like a juvenile or ill-informed effort to get something to play
with," said Loizeaux, whose company has demolished more than 1,200
buildings, including several Las Vegas casinos, and helped level the
wreckage of the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City.
"The people don't know what they were doing, or they certainly would have
taken the detonators. It sounds like a childish prank."
Loizeaux echoed Hall's assessment that the potential for damage depends
on the knowledge of the person who has the explosives.
"I could take down multistory structures with that, no problem, but all of
these explosives in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they're
doing is virtually worthless; it's really not going to do much damage," he
said. "The gasoline in your gas tank is technically more dangerous than this
product, because you can set it off with a match."
The bunker's contents weren't thought to be much of a threat by police,
either. The burglary was the first one at the bunker since it was built in the
early 1980s, Winchester said.
The bunker, which is halfway embedded in a hill, is about 8 feet wide, 12
feet long, and 10 feet high and made of reinforced concrete. The door is
heavy steel and has several locks.
The bunker has no alarm or power, but at least three levels of security,
Winchester and Pierce said. They would not elaborate on the security
measures, but the burglars first must pass a locked gate, then travel a quarter
mile on a winding dirt road.
The bunker also is surrounded by another chain-link fence with barbed
wire. Pierce said the burglars forced their way in through the fence, then got
past the locks on the bunker's steel door.
"It took some level of sophistication to get into the bunker," Pierce said,
noting the burglars left little or no physical evidence.
The burglars, however, also left sophisticated explosives in the bunker.
Pierce declined to elaborate.
Only three people have keys, and all have been accounted for.
The breach was discovered Monday afternoon by children playing nearby
who noticed the open gate, Pierce said.
In the early 1980s, Fresno County's public works department stored
explosives in the bunker and used them to carve out roads, Pierce said.
In 1986, the bunker was turned over to the Fresno County Sheriff's
Department. The Fresno Police Department took control of it in 1994 when
the two agencies began to use a single bomb squad under the command of
the Police Department. The squad also serves Fresno, Madera, Mariposa
and Kings counties.
The bomb squad uses the explosives to destroy ammunition, bombs and
explosives confiscated by local law enforcement.
Foothill residents concerned
Auberry residents contacted Tuesday said they didn't know the bomb
bunker existed. They, too, are concerned that the explosives may have fallen
into the wrong hands.
"We have some crazies up here," said Bud Olson, 55, referring to people
who don't agree with the U.S. government.
"What are they going to do with it?" asked Olson, a longtime Auberry
resident who teaches at Foothill Middle School. "Nothing, I hope."
Officials in Tuolumne County said they had a similar explosives theft last
month.
On Nov. 14, suspects stole about 100 pounds of stick dynamite from a
lumber company's storage facility in Standard, said Tuolumne County
Sheriff's Sgt. Allen Dahl.
"We have had dynamite thefts from time to time," Dahl said. The case is
still under investigation, and no suspects have been apprehended.
That doesn't make things easier for local investigators, who have asked for
the return of the explosives, Winchester said.
"I'd like to encourage whoever took the explosive materials to put them out
in a rural area somewhere and call us so we can come and get them."
The Fresno Bee staff writer Michael Baker contributed to this report.
