Feds Offer $25k Reward for Recover of Stolen Explosives

Updated 9:48 AM PST, Sun, Nov 16, 2008

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Federal officials plan to boost the reward offered for information leading to the recovery of more than 250 pounds of unstable explosives stolen from a shed in the mountains of Orange County.

A news conference is scheduled for Monday to announce that the reward is being increased from $5,000 to $25,000. John Torres, special agent in charge, from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Assistant Orange County Sheriff Michael Hillman are scheduled to attend.

The event will include a live explosives demonstration to show the destructive potential of the stolen explosives.

"For the sake of your safety and the sake of the safety of everyone around you, I would urge that you call authorities immediately so we can dispose of this material safely," said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

In addition to the 250 pounds of blasting powder, 75 blasting caps and other explosives were stolen from a shed in Blackstar Canyon in early October, Amormino said.

The shed was owned by a resident in an isolated area next to the Cleveland National Forest in the Santa Ana Mountains, not far from Santiago Canyon. Amormino said the shed was at a house, and there was no mining activity in the immediate area.

"We do not know why this individual was storing this material, but we do know that it was old and very unstable," Amormino said.

The material could detonate just by being moved, he said.

The blasting powder was in five boxes, each weighing 50 pounds, and in tubes that are similar in appearance to sticks of dynamite. Also stolen were 500 feet of fuse, coated in black tar, and 250 feet of detonating cord.

"All of these items have been stored in harsh conditions for many years," according to a joint statement from the Orange County sheriff's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "They are believed to be deteriorating rapidly and extremely unstable."

The ATF is now upping its earlier $5,000 reward to $25,000 for the safe return of the explosives. Officials urged anyone with information about the materials to call 911 immediately.