Man Planted Ramsey Pipe Bomb To 'Send Message' To Juveniles Partying
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two people are accused of setting off a pipe bomb and other devices in a Ramsey neighborhood earlier this week in an effort to "send a message" to juveniles partying in the area, according to charges filed in Ramsey County Court.
Jacob Hall, 24 of Ramsey, and 25-year-old Jennifer Stuer are each facing multiple charges in the Oct. 9 incident. They include explosive/incendiary device violation, first-degree criminal damage to property and fifth-degree controlled substance crime.
According to the charges, Ramsey police responded on Oct. 9 to a report of a small bomb being detonated at a new home under construction at 5720 152nd Court. When officers arrived, a contractor working at the home showed officers remnants of a small bomb and showed them where it blew a hole in the wall and moved framing. The contractor said it caused more than $1,000 in damage.
Officers also spoke with a neighbor, who reported hearing an explosion around 1 a.m. on Oct. 7 and then saw a car drive off.
The complaint states that on Oct. 23, police responded to a report that a witness saw a person driving near what looked like a pipe bomb in some trees near Iodine Street and Alpine Drive, near the Ramsey Fire Station. The witness said they saw a man enter the woods with an extension cord, came back moments later without it and then he went into a nearby residence.
Officers then located a pipe bomb in a flower pot, surrounded by a bag of paint. The bomb had an extension cord attached to it that led to a 12-volt car battery.
The complaint states officers went into the home where the man was and immediately noticed a strong smell of marijuana. Two people, identified as Hall and Stuer, were inside the home. Hall matched a witness description of the man who planted the pipe bomb.
The complaint states Hall admitted to police he set up the pipe bomb in the woods and did so because juveniles were partying in the woods and he wanted to "send them a message." He also said he wanted to show off for his girlfriend. He admitted to setting off the pipe bomb in the home under construction on Oct. 7, and set off as many as six other bombs in the City of Ramsey.
Stuer told authorities she knew Hall was setting up a pipe bomb in the woods and she drove him to the home where the bomb was set off, knowing his intentions. She also told officers she drove him to several other spots to set off bombs, saying they were doing it "just for fun."
Authorities executed a search warrant at their home and in the garage, they located several bomb-making supplies a potato gun used to shoot ball bearings and a three-ring binder with bomb-making instructions.
Officers also discovered a handmade gun, marijuana and methamphetamine.
If convicted on all charges, they each face more than 40 years in prison.