Explosive device found in Fishers home (Indianapolis Suburb)

Noblesville Daily Times ^ | October 19, 2005

[bd476]

Several houses in the 13900 block of Royal Wood Drive in Fishers were evacuated Tuesday afternoon when Fishers Police found an explosive device located inside a home.

Fishers Police Officer Edward Gebhardt said a student at Hamilton Southeastern High School's Freshman Campus reported to a school resource officer that another student talked about an explosive device on the bus that morning. The resource officer then found information in the school that made him believe the student had explosive devices in his home. The student had information about bomb-making he had printed from the Internet.

After finding the device, the 14-year-old was arrested and charged with possession of a destructive device. He was being held in the Hamilton County Detention Facility this morning.

“I believe it's exceptional that one of the students stepped forward to give the information to the resource officer,” Gebhardt said.

Police officers responded to the possible explosive threat in the Royal Woods subdivision near the intersection of 116th Street and Olio Road at 10:15 a.m. The police were given voluntary consent from the teen's mother to search the house for explosive materials. Gebhardt said that gun powder and other materials were located in the home. The officer evacuated the house and called the state police Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team.

A primary perimeter was set around the house and houses on both sides of it were evacuated for safety reasons. A secondary perimeter was set up 1,000 feet around the house, and several families within that perimeter voluntarily left their homes for precautionary reasons.

Kirsten Johnson, who lives two doors down from the home where the explosives were found, didn't know about the situation until she returned home after leaving work early and saw her street entrances blocked off with police cars and tape.

“I felt sick, to be honest, real nervous,” Johnson said.

A member of the Indiana State Police helps an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team member put on protective clothing before he enters a home in the 13900 block of River Wood Drive in Fishers where an explosive device was found Tuesday afternoon. Photo by Robert Herrington

She said that she instantly began panicking because her husband and son were at home.

“I wasn't feeling like they were safe,” Johnson said.

After they were given permission by the police to leave their house and join her outside, Johnson was still apprehensive about the situation.

“I'm still nervous about this going on in our neighborhood,” she said.

Johnson's family has lived in the neighborhood since March and described it as a “good neighborhood, real friendly.” She said that usually the streets are lively and residents are out and about.

Complete disbelief and shock were expressed on the face of 15-year-old Sean Matuszak when he arrived at the scene Tuesday afternoon. Both Sean and his 13-year-old brother Patrick were friends with the 14-year-old teenager who allegedly built the explosive device.

“I'm just completely amazed he would do such a thing,” Sean said.

Sean described the situation as “out of the blue.”

“I talked to him yesterday and the day before and he seemed normal, nothing hinting toward a bomb or anything,” Sean said. “I can't believe he did this. I wish I could ask him what he was thinking.”

“He's an OK kid sometimes, but he's had some tough times,” Patrick said.

The two said that they have known the accused teenager for three to four years and neither believed it was in his nature to create an explosive device.

“I didn't expect that, I don't know why he'd do that,” Patrick said.

His brother felt the same way as Sean, continuously running his hands through his hair and said, “I really want to ask him why” under his breath while staring at the boy's home.

Patrick recalled that the last time he was in the teenager's home, approximately a little over a year ago, he was mixing chemicals together. He recalled one such chemical the teen was using was Clorox, which mixed with certain chemicals could cause an explosion due to a gas buildup.

“He talked about chemicals and then we went and hit golf balls,” Patrick said.

Patrick said he didn't really think anything about it at the time, but looking back he could have been practicing for over a year.

Gebhardt said State Police had found a small, hand-crafted, fused-trigger device containing shrapnel inside the home. A fused-trigger explosive device must have the fuse lit to make it explode.

“(The device) has been taken from the residence and State Police (are) going to destroy it,” Gebhardt said.

Fishers Detectives were investigating the house Tuesday evening after it was cleared by a state police K-9 unit which checked the home for any other explosive materials.

[bd476]

The Indy Channel.com

Boy's Friends Shocked By Bomb Discovery
Police Dispose Of Explosive Device Found In Home

POSTED: 7:55 am EST October 19, 2005
UPDATED: 8:48 am EST October 19, 2005

FISHERS, Ind. -- A Fishers home was surrounded and wrapped in crime scene tape Tuesday after an explosive device was found inside the home, police said.
Police said a 14-year-old boy made the device. It was safely disposed of by Indiana State Police, RTV6's Tanya Spencer reported.

Police questioned the boy Tuesday evening. He's was charged with possession of a destructive device, a Class C felony.

Officials described the home as a nice home in a nice community. Neighbors and classmates of the boy were surprised to learn of the device.

"I'm just completely awe-struck. I had no idea that any of my friends would ever do something like this," sophomore Sean Matuszik said.

Fishers police and Hamilton County school officials said they learned of the device Tuesday morning from a conversation a student heard on a bus.

"We had a student that reported overhearing two or three students talking. In that conversation, the student indicated that he had downloaded some information on the process of making a device that could be dangerous," said Dr. Richard Hogue, Hamilton Southeastern assistant superintendent.

After an initial search and evacuation of the neighborhood, state police bomb teams and bomb sniffing dogs were brought in.

"They did locate and verify a device that had shrapnel within it that was triggered by a fuse," said Fishers police Officer Ed Gebhart.

The freshman student was being held by police at the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center.

"I actually talked to him yesterday. We were just joking around and talking. He didn't mention or even hint to something about a bomb," Matuszik said.

Officials said the teen did not threaten to bring the device to school. But Hamilton Southeastern officials said they didn't want to take any chances.

"Any situation where a student could be harmed is the most serious thing we could deal with at the school," Hogue said.

Boy's Friends Shocked By Bomb Discovery

[bd476]

If it's possible, could you please add (Indianapolis Suburb) to the title? Thank you.

[RedBeaconNY]

Something doesn't add up here... he never threatened to bring it to school nor has he (I assume) been in trouble in the past- and they're holding him in a detention facility. What he does on his own property is his own business... and a can of gasoline is technically an explosive device.

[higgmeister]

Explosive device found in Fishers home

Of course! How could we have been so confused?
Fishers wasn't possessive. lol!

[bd476]

RedBeaconNY wrote: "Something doesn't add up here... he never threatened to bring it to school nor has he (I assume) been in trouble in the past- and they're holding him in a detention facility."

RedBeaconNY, perhaps you didn't read the articles above. The teenager has been charged with a Class C felony, possession of a bomb, which the teenager made at home.

Would you rather he be allowed to stay in the same place he created his shrapnel filled bomb?

RedBeaconNY wrote: "...What he does on his own property is his own business..."

Are you serious about allowing 14 year old boys to make shrapnel filled bombs, as long as they don't bring them to school?

RedBeaconNY wrote: "... and a can of gasoline is technically an explosive device."

This was not a "can of gasoline." This was a "small, hand-crafted, fused-trigger device containing shrapnel inside" which the teenager made after he downloaded bomb-making instructions from the internet.

[bd476]

higgmeister wrote: " 'Explosive device found in Fishers home'
Of course! How could we have been so confused? Fishers wasn't possessive. lol!"

LOL! Guess I should have used the story (and title) I posted in my first response: Boy's Friends Shocked By Bomb Discovery as the main story (and title) for the thread.

[DUMBGRUNT]

"small, hand-crafted, fused-trigger device containing shrapnel inside"

Tends to work best if you put the shrapnel part on the out side. Think of the old pineapple type grenade.

So the kid put some match heads in a pipe and stuck a fuse in it?
What was the kiloton rating when the bomb squad popped it?

[HighlyOpinionated]

Are y'all shell shocked from the War On Terror?

If this kid was a 20 yr old from the middle east, what would your reaction be?

If this kid was the son of someone from the middle east, what would your reaction be.

Remember, the goal of izlam is to convert our children and then promise them the moon (literally, the moon-god) in exchange for being a suicide bomber.

[higgmeister]

Something doesn't add up here... he never threatened to bring it to school nor has he....

I agree with you, unless in the papers they found along
with, I assume, "The Anarchist's Handbook" there were
threats.

When I was a kid we tried to make all kinds of bombs and
the like. We had chemistry sets that even made hydrogen.
I read about Gun Cotton in Jules Verne. Fire Crackers and
Cherry Bombs were a normal part of youth. Boys thrive
on powerful explosions but they can't do that nowadays.

[Trust but Verify]

Must be a slow news day.

[bd476]

DUMBGRUNT wrote: 'small, hand-crafted, fused-trigger device containing shrapnel inside'

Tends to work best if you put the shrapnel part on the out side. Think of the old pineapple type grenade."

That's interesting. Sounds like you have a lot of experience.

DUMBGRUNT wrote: "So the kid put some match heads in a pipe and stuck a fuse in it? "

Where did you read that?

DUMBGRUNT wrote: "What was the kiloton rating when the bomb squad popped it?"

The articles did not report that information, but the Fishers Indiana Police web site might have an answer.

[bd476]

bobbdobbs wrote: "Fortunately we grew up in an earlier era. Today we'd be doing hard time for all our little (and not so little) firecrackers we concocted."

Wow, you put shrapnel inside your homemade firecrackers back then? That must have made your 4ths of July very exciting.

[bd476]

Trust but Verify wrote: Must be a slow news day."

Not sure and haven't heard nor seen any statistics on that yet today.

[rock58seg]

I spent my summers from the age of 12 to 14 trying to find new explosive mixes and also "the universal solvent".

We had plenty of gas, diesel, farm chemicals, fertilizer, and even some old dynamite. but that stuff was already known. Much to easy.

As for the universal solvent, it never occured to me that I had nothing to keep it in, once I found it.


I'm here to report, I failed on all fronts.

[DUMBGRUNT]

The Anarchist Cookbook, I still have a copy!
Doesn't everyone like to blow things up?

[em2vn]

"She said that she instantly began panicking because her husband and son were at home."
How would you like to put up with this drama queen on a regular basis? Heavens above, where do these women come from? Maybe watching too much Oprah will yet be the death of our great nation.

[mysterio]

I made homemade firecrackers when I was a kid. I guess now the jackboots would be kicking my door in and shooting my whole family.

[Squantos]

kid says he downloaded it off the internet......one more reason to not brag about how to specifics in open forums.

Any idiot can blow themselves up with basic chemistry learned in 6th grade.

The ones I liked were the dummy's that think how to books "are". I have cleaned up after most of them with a mop and a paintscraper . Such experts as Kurt Saxon were our best bets that the bomb maker would kill themselves before they hurt others in 9 out of 10 cases. For proof of Saxons expertise just look at him, missing fingers and eye and goes "huh ? " a whole lot !

We had all the cool wannabe libary bomb building books from acme press etc on our shelves such as Anarchist Cook Books, Poor mans James Bond, The CIA Black book etc etc , revenge books and they were examples of how to kill yerself with too much of the wrong knowledge.

Just my opinion based on 26 years of seeing the results first hand .....:o)

[festus]

Aint that the truth. Who didn't experiment with explosive devices and, may I go so far as to say, shrapnel to see just how destructive it could be ?

Its called bein a kid and learnin stuff.

Stories like this convince me that if we don't come to our senses soon a stronger and more violent culture will surely overtake ours.