Incident may be costly for Cambridge Springs resident

September 04, 2007 10:42 pm

— By Jane Smith
meadville tribune
When the son of Cambridge Springs resident Lynn Oscar Willey found what he thought was a pipe bomb last May, he gave it to his mother who then gave it to Willey.
Willey, in turn, took it to Cambridge Springs Elementary School and reported it to school officials.
That action could cost Willey, of 31438 First St., up to a $300 fine and 90 days in jail, since he has been charged by Pennsylvania State Police with disorderly conduct.
A summons was sent to Willey via mail from the office of Saegertown Area Magisterial District Judge Lincoln Zilhaver, but he hasn’t yet responded.
When Willey took the item to Cambridge Springs Elementary, officials evacuated the school and notified police. The Erie Police Department Bomb Squad was summoned to the site, where it took the item and detonated it.
The remnants were then sent to the FBI for testing before any charges were filed.
Crawford County District Attorney Francis Schultz said Friday that tests showed no materials which would have been consistent with a bomb were found. It was harmless. The only explosive-type materials found were those used by the bomb squad.
He said since Willey didn’t make a threat or say he had a bomb, the incident didn’t meet the criteria for the charge of risking a catastrophe.

Jane Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at jsmith@meadvilletribune.com.