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Father taught alleged Springboro teen bomb-maker, police say

Second Fenwick student sentenced in Springboro bomb scare

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By Lawrence Budd, Staff Writer Updated 12:16 PM Thursday, August 13, 2009

SPRINGBORO — Police evacuated the home of the 16-year-old boy accused of possessing a suspected pipe bomb, in addition to having to evacuate a building housing city offices and an independent company, according to a Springboro police report released Wednesday, Aug. 12.

After clearing the home on Reed Road, the boy’s father told police he “never knew his son to make any type of explosive,” but said he taught the boy — an honors chemistry and science student — to build smoke bombs, police said in the report .

The Springboro boy was placed on house arrest Monday, after five days in detention. He faces charges of delinquency by reason of inducing panic, unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance, obstructing official business and criminal mischief.

The police report also explained that the boy and a 16-year-old Clearcreek Twp. boy triggered the incident by placing a concrete ball, broken from landscaping in a Settlers Walk neighborhood, in the street and setting off smoke bombs near the ball and in adjoining woods.

Police spotted the Springboro boy throwing another smoke bomb on Hickory Hills Lane while police investigated. Also, a fire had been sparked by smoke bombs set off in the woods, according to the report.

“We were standing on the edge of the grass and the roadway when another smoke bomb was lit and thrown from the wooded area onto the roadway, just down from where he was standing,” Officer Heath Martin said in the report.

The Springboro boy ran, but was caught in a nearby neighborhood.

The Clearcreek Twp. boy, brought to temporary city offices on South Pioneer Boulevard by his mother, is charged with delinquency by reason criminal damaging, obstructing official business and a curfew violation.

He remains free pending arraignment in Warren County Juvenile Court.

According to the report, the building was evacuated and the Dayton bomb squad called after police found the suspected pipe bomb among items on a table brought back to the police station.

“I looked at the table to see what (other officers) were so concerned about and saw what appeared to be a pipe bomb laying on the table,” Martin said in the report.

The Springboro boy said he was solely responsible for the suspected bomb, according to the report.

State experts are analyzing the remains of the suspected bomb, detonated by the bomb squad on Wednesday.

Police also found a pipe and fusing among 24 items taken in a search of the Reed Road home.

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