Olentangy students charged for making bombs

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Two Olentangy students have been charged with unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance after an improvised explosive in an apartment building.

The Columbus Division of Fire reported Wednesday that two high school students were charged with unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance, a fifth-degree felony, after a discarded improvised explosive was found last month.

The division of fire reports that on June 15, deputies from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Division of Police and the Columbus Division of Fire Bomb Squad responded to the area of Arrow Feather Lane in Lewis Center after a resident found an improvised explosive attached to a fire extinguisher.

Columbus Fire Bomb technicians rendered the improvised explosive safe and an investigation was started.

Fire officials report that later that day investigators identified a local high school student as a suspect and obtained a search warrant for the student’s home. Investigators searched the home located in an apartment complex on Bella Woods Drive in Orange Township.

While searching the apartment, investigators found approximately 15 other improvised explosive devices, approximately five pounds of explosive powders and many other components of explosives and improvised explosive devices.

“The variety and quantity of different explosives that were in this apartment would have definitely destroyed the unit if not the entire third floor,” Lead Investigator Mike DeFrancisco said in a statement Wednesday.

Fire officials report there have been no injuries or significant property damage associated with this incident.

Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin said Wednesday afternoon that the juveniles will not be charged as adults and said their cases would be handled by the Delaware County Juvenile Court.

Olentangy Local Schools Superintendent Mark Raiff issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon:

“While I hope this is a case of young people acting on a curiosity, I am confident the local authorities will investigate the matter thoroughly and I expect all individuals to be punished to the fullest extent of the law should they be found guilty.”

By Glenn Battishill

[email protected]

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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