FOLLOW UP STORY
http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/AdWindow.asp?bid=37171&brd=1408&pag=461&adlocation=999 Man arrested after bomb incident
By: April 26, 2004
CLINTON - A Clinton man has been charged with second-degree arson for allegedly throwing a homemade bomb into the Alliant Energy substation Friday night.
Oliver E. Guertin, 27, 2715 S. 18th St., is being held on $100,000 bond today in the Clinton County Jail, charged with throwing the device after earlier telling his wife that he wanted to do "what Columbine did" and that he wanted to "kill the whole world," according to officials.
According to an affidavit filed with Clinton County District Court officials, Clinton Police Officer Bill Greenwalt was traveling north in the 100 block of North Second Street about 8 p.m. Friday when he saw Guertin standing on the Alliant Energy property. Guertin was facing the privacy fence, which is secured with several large electronic transformers.
Greenwalt said that as he drove by Guertin, Guertin turned and watched as the squad car drove by. Greenwalt then saw Guertin throw a blue plastic grocery bag over the security fence.
Greenwalt said Guertin told him at the scene that the bag contained chemicals and later said the bag contained ordinary household products that could be used to make a bomb. Jeff Shatzer, a special agent with the Iowa State Marshal's Office, came to the scene and examined the bags. He found batteries wrapped in cloth, with the cloth soaked in an unknown liquid substance. Shatzer also found notebook paper, which also was saturated with an unknown liquid substance. A paper napkin was found protruding from the bag, which was burnt. Greenwalt wrote in the affidavit that Guertin admitted to igniting the bag before throwing it next to the electronic transformer.
Jim Saunders, with the State Fire Marshal's Office, said this morning the construction of the homemade device was basically harmless.
But during the investigation, another Clinton police officer interviewed Guertin's wife Catherine, who said her husband on Friday referred to wanting to do what Columbine did. "He didn't want to just kill children. He wanted to kill the whole world."
His wife said she saw Oliver making a bomb inside their home and that he told her he was going to the power plant to throw a bomb at the plant.
During a search at the residence that night, officers reportedly found the items used to manufacture the device thrown at Alliant. Also during that time, the area near the plant was immediately closed off by the Clinton Police Department for public safety and the Clinton Fire Department was dispatched to the scene.
"We were told that the device could have done some minor damage," Scott Drzycimski, Alliant Energy spokesman said today. "Our main focus was to plan ahead on possible ways to reroute power should it have been lost."
He said the company's officials were impressed with the quick action taken by the Clinton Police Department.
"The manager and our operations center were impressed by how quickly the police responded," Drzycimski said of the Friday night arrest. "And they were impressed at how quickly the suspect was apprehended."