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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Sept. 26, 2007
HAYS MAN TO REMAIN IN JAIL ON PIPE BOMB CHARGE
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Donald E. Parsons, 56, Hays, Kan., will remain behind bars pending trial on charges arising from a pipe bomb incident in May in Lawrence, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
U.S. District Magistrate Judge Gerald Rushfelt ordered Parsons to be detained on one count of using a pipe bomb in a crime of violence, one count of unlawful possession of a pipe bomb, one count of making a pipe bomb, one count of unlawfully receiving explosives with intent to kill a person and damage property, and one count of using a pipe bomb to commit a felony.
Parsons, a former employee of Kansas Department of Health & Environment, is charged in connection with a May 16, 2007, incident in which Lawrence police received a report of a pipe bomb under a pickup truck parked in the East Hills Business Park. The victim, who lives in Topeka, found the device hanging under his pickup as he was leaving work. The Overland Park bomb squad detonated the device.
At the hearing, Judge Rushfelt heard evidence from Lawrence Detective Michael McAtee, the lead investigator, that Parsons had been upset because a woman had broken up with him in order to date the intended victim.
ATF Agent Charles Backer testified about a search by law enforcement at a rural Osborne County farm owned by Parsons and his family. Becker said he found what appeared to be a post-blast scene where he believed a similar device was detonated under an abandoned vehicle.
Upon conviction, the alleged crimes carry the following penalties:
– Using a pipe bomb in a crime of violence: Not less than 30 years and not more than life in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
– Unlawful possession of a pipe bomb: A maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
– Making a pipe bomb: A maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
– Receiving explosives with intent to kill a person or damage property: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. – Using a pipe bomb to commit a felony: Not less than $250,000 a fine up to $250,000.
Agencies that assisted in the investigation include:
– The Lawrence Police Department
– The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
– The Overland Park Bomb Unit
– The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Department
– The Hays Police Department
– The Ellis County Sheriff
– The Osborne County Sheriff
– The Russell County Sheriff
– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation
– The Kansas Highway Patrol
– The Kansas State Fire Marshal.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.
As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
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