Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Academic Blogs -> the 13th juror

Academic

: the 13th juror

"Bored" men planned to bomb homeless man's campsite

Three "bored" men face criminal charges over their alleged plan to bomb a homeless man's campsite in a wooded area behind a church.

The men -- all in their early 20s -- were charged with possession of a destructive device, a felony carrying a standard 30-year prison term, and trespass, a misdemeanor.

They were arrested near a church in New Castle, Indiana, where police found what were described in a police report as "two homemade incendiary devices (Molotov cocktails)."

The men told police they were bored and admitted to going to the area specifically to harass the homeless man. They first threw rocks to see if he was inside his tent and said they planned to ignite their homemade bombs -- a gas-soaked rag inside a glass jar and another rag inside a plastic dishwashing soap bottle -- just to create a spark and scare him.

The planned bombing was averted because a police officer, on routine patrol, noticed fresh footprints in the snow approaching a locked gate.

Read the Muncie Star-Press report here.

Full post as published by the 13th juror on January 14, 2009 (boomark / email).