EDMOND —
An Edmond man who allegedly tried to ignite an explosive device held a grudge against someone in an unrelated incident, police said.
On Sunday, Midwest City Police Sgt. Joel Warner, commander of his department’s bomb squad, was called to the 1000 block of Lloyd Drive in Midwest City about a possible explosive device placed under a car, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Warner in Oklahoma County District Court.
At the scene, Warner spoke with Edmond Police Detective Marion Cain, a certified bomb technician.
On Sunday, Edmond Police arrested Matthew James Burke, 45, of Edmond, on attempted copper theft and public intoxication complaints, police said. An examination of the suspect’s cell phone records revealed a text message stating he had placed what he called a white “claymore” under a vehicle, police said.
Cain was contacted and came to interview the suspect who told detectives he had put starter fluid, fuel additive and BBs inside a cylinder, according to the affidavit.
On top of the cylinder he had put a firework mortar with 10 feet of fuse, according to the affidavit. He said he lit the fuse, but it went out because it was wet, police said.
He said he was angry at a man in an unrelated incident that had occurred during the summer, according to the affidavit. He said the man had stayed at the home, but the man no longer lived at the address, police said.
He drew a picture of the device, which he placed under the pickup on Lloyd Drive at about 4 a.m. Sunday, for the detectives, according to the affidavit. Bomb technicians found a white package as described by the suspect under a pickup parked in the front yard, police said.
A technician X-rayed the package, and the components described by the suspect were visible in the developed image, the affidavit stated.
Bomb technicians disarmed the package using water and an enhanced blank, police said. After ensuring it was rendered safe, the seizable pieces of the device were photographed and collected, police said.
Sunday evening, Edmond Police Officer Mason Long was dispatched on a theft of copper in progress to 3117 St. Fergus Drive. The scene was a home under construction, police said in an incident report filed by Long.
The suspect told Long he was at the house taking some scrap pieces of wire from the ground, police said. After Long told him that someone had seen him pulling wire out of the wall he admitted he was stealing copper from the house, but only a little bit, police said.
Burke has been booked into the county jail. His bond was set at $100,000, according to the arrest warrant for a Midwest City complaint related to manufacturing an explosive or incendiary device. Initial criminal probable cause paperwork has been filed in Oklahoma County District Court.
Attorney information for the suspect, who is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, was not yet available.
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108
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