c0deblue
November 26th, 2004, 02:38 PM
Thought you might get a kick out of these Associated Press articles. Fascinating how they're soft-peddling these incidents, presumably to calm a lot of worried citizens. Not that the kid they arrested isn't in a world of trouble, but their low-key reaction is the opposite of the way they usually do things. How many kids with "pressure bombz" and "labs" comprising a few dirty mayonaise jars have been the subject of televised press conferences and headlines like (GASP) "Bomb Factory Raided, Huge Explosives Cache Found, Neighborhood Evacuated." :eek:
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Things that go boom in the night: Mysterious blasts in Richmond, Va., work of pranksters, vandals, officials say
BOB LEWIS
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Mysterious blasts that have rattled a city neighborhood off and on this month appear to be the work of pranksters or vandals who placed small explosive devices in city sewers, authorities said Tuesday.
Investigators said the homemade cylindrical devices didn't appear designed to kill or injure.
``It's a pressure-producing device, not an incendiary device,'' said fire department investigator Capt. William M. Martin. ``It will cause what would be perceived as an explosion, but it doesn't leave a crater. It does make a large amount of noise.''
Martin described the devices as ranging from 4 inches to a foot long and up to 6 inches around; he declined to discuss how many had been found. A search for more continued.
The blasts have occurred since Nov. 2 - but just on nights and weekends. Residents became so frightened that nearly 400 packed a community meeting Sunday.
Sara Driggs said the first blast jarred her family as they watched election returns.
``It's the unknown aspect of it,'' she said. ``Hearing the boom is an experience like seeing a mouse. You know the mouse won't hurt you, but it startles you.''
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FOLLOWUP STORY:
Teenager charged in Richmond booms
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Authorities have arrested a 15-year-old resident of the neighborhood where mysterious booms have frightened residents since the beginning of the month.
The teenager, who was not identified, was charged Wednesday with possessing or manufacturing an explosive device. That crime, a felony, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Other youths also might be involved, according to authorities, who said a citizen tip led them to the suspect.
The explosions were caused by a simple chemical reaction, a city public works spokesman told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Three devices recovered by police earlier this week were made of common materials, including plastic soda bottles.
The reaction produced enough pressure to burst the bottles and cause a loud boom, the spokesman said.
Though they caused no injuries or serious property damage, the blasts caused frightened callers to jam 911 lines - 250 calls were received in 90 seconds after a particularly forceful boom on Nov. 21.
************
Things that go boom in the night: Mysterious blasts in Richmond, Va., work of pranksters, vandals, officials say
BOB LEWIS
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Mysterious blasts that have rattled a city neighborhood off and on this month appear to be the work of pranksters or vandals who placed small explosive devices in city sewers, authorities said Tuesday.
Investigators said the homemade cylindrical devices didn't appear designed to kill or injure.
``It's a pressure-producing device, not an incendiary device,'' said fire department investigator Capt. William M. Martin. ``It will cause what would be perceived as an explosion, but it doesn't leave a crater. It does make a large amount of noise.''
Martin described the devices as ranging from 4 inches to a foot long and up to 6 inches around; he declined to discuss how many had been found. A search for more continued.
The blasts have occurred since Nov. 2 - but just on nights and weekends. Residents became so frightened that nearly 400 packed a community meeting Sunday.
Sara Driggs said the first blast jarred her family as they watched election returns.
``It's the unknown aspect of it,'' she said. ``Hearing the boom is an experience like seeing a mouse. You know the mouse won't hurt you, but it startles you.''
----------------------
FOLLOWUP STORY:
Teenager charged in Richmond booms
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Authorities have arrested a 15-year-old resident of the neighborhood where mysterious booms have frightened residents since the beginning of the month.
The teenager, who was not identified, was charged Wednesday with possessing or manufacturing an explosive device. That crime, a felony, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Other youths also might be involved, according to authorities, who said a citizen tip led them to the suspect.
The explosions were caused by a simple chemical reaction, a city public works spokesman told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Three devices recovered by police earlier this week were made of common materials, including plastic soda bottles.
The reaction produced enough pressure to burst the bottles and cause a loud boom, the spokesman said.
Though they caused no injuries or serious property damage, the blasts caused frightened callers to jam 911 lines - 250 calls were received in 90 seconds after a particularly forceful boom on Nov. 21.