UP Man Accused Of Leaving Explosive Is Indicted
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - An Upper Peninsula man has been indicted on bombing charges related to an explosive device he is accused of leaving outside the federal courthouse in downtown Detroit.
A three-count federal grand jury on Thursday indicted 42-year old Gary Mikulich on charges of attempting to damage and destroy the McNamara Federal Building by means of an explosive; using and carrying a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence; and possessing an unregistered destructive device, according to U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade.
Mikulich, of Kingsford, was charged last month with leaving an explosive device outside the McNamara Building.
On Feb. 26, a security officer found a tool bag containing a metal cash box outside the building. The bag and its contents were taken inside and left there until a Federal Protective Service officer decided to X-ray it on March 18 and saw electrical components inside.
The Detroit police bomb squad detonated the device on Belle Isle, then sent it to Washington for investigation.
The exploded materials included pieces of PVC pipe, a timer and black electrical tape, along with a handwritten note that read, "1. Turn Switch 2. Plug, in," an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit filed in federal court.
Mikulich was arrested March 24 near his home, about 500 miles northwest of Detroit.
Federal public defender Paul Peterson declined to comment Thursday on the new charges.
If convicted, the charges carry sentences ranging from three to more than 30 years in prison.
Mikulich was ordered to undergo a mental exam after declaring Feb. 25 in a Marquette courtroom that he was a former president and the governor of California. A judge ordered Mikulich to no more than 45 days in a federal psychiatric center to determine his competency.
Mikulich's family later released a statement saying he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia 18 years ago and often refuses to take medication.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
