Presence of pipe bomb closes justice center; prompts advisory

18 September 2014

Justice Center Closed by Presence of Pipe Bomb

Coast Radio News
Local News

A pipe bomb found near 22nd street and transported to the Justice Center yesterday afternoon was “the real thing” according to interim Florence Police Chief Lynn Lamm.

Lamm said a police auxiliary member was fueling a vehicle at Pacific Pride shortly after noon when she was approached by a woman carrying the device. The woman said she had found it behind Oceanside Veterinary Clinic and said it looked like a bomb. The auxiliary member agreed, and not wanting to leave it near the gas station, placed it in her car, taking it to the Justice Center. That prompted a lockdown of the facility until the Eugene Bomb Squad could respond and check it out.

Lamm said the bomb squad noted the device appeared to be stable, so they removed it from the vehicle and took it away from the building. Lamm said the device appeared to have been built by someone who – quote – “knew what they were doing”. The four inch metal pipe was packed with gunpowder and had a fuse extending from the center.

A pipe bomb found near Oceanside Veterinary 9/17 was taken to the Justice Center prompting closure of that facility.
A pipe bomb found near Oceanside Veterinary 9/17 was taken to the Justice Center prompting closure of that facility.

Lamm said the bomb would be processed for evidence and police would like to speak with the woman who found it… the auxiliary officer neglected to get her name.

Advisory issued

Interim Police Chief Lynn Lamm said yesterday’s pipe bomb found near 22nd street demonstrated the need for more training for auxiliary officers… and more awareness for the public.

The auxiliary officer that placed the bomb in her car for transport to the Justice Center was acting in what she thought was the safest manner, he said, by attempting to get the device away from a gas station.

And the woman who initially picked it up thought she was being helpful as well.

But the device really should have been left where it was discovered and the finder should have called 911.

Lynn Lamm – “Really, pretty much a common sense issue. If you see it, it looks suspicious, it’s got wires sticking out of it. Do not touch it.”

Had the device been unstable, it could have exploded, causing severe injury or even death. Lamm said officials are also now in the position of having to backtrack and search for the precise location where the bomb was found in order to gather more evidence.

Single vehicle crashes kill one, injure another

Separate single vehicle crashes in the same area of Highway 126 earlier this week near Badger Mountain injured one man and killed one other person.

Authorities are still trying to determine the identity of the person who died when their Honda Accord station wagon left the highway near the summit of Badger Mountain about 6:30 Tuesday evening. The car struck a tree and ignited a blaze that burned about three-quarters of an acre.

The other crash occurred about two miles east of that location sometime late Monday. A car driven by 36-year old Michael Vincent of Coos Bay left the roadway and rolled several times. The crash was discovered about 7:30 Tuesday morning by a state trooper and a transportation worker who spotted a tire in the brush.

Vincent was airlifted to RiverBend hospital in Springfield where he was in intensive care. A state police spokesperson said his injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

POW-MIA-Recognition-DayPOW/MIA Remembrance Day

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, more than 83-thousand American Service Men and Women who have fought in conflicts since World War Two are still unaccounted for.

The D-O-D has detailed crews to work on finding and identifying what has happened each and every one of them.

While the disposition of all 83-thousand may never be known, it’s important to remember them all.

For that purpose, congress has set aside the third Friday in each September as POW-MIA Recognition Day.

One such observance will be held in Florence tomorrow at 11 AM when members of the VFW and American Legion come together at Veteran’s Park on Bay Street next to the river.