
DATE: Saturday, November 15, 1997           TAG: 9711150308

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   86 lines

BEACH MAILBOX BOMBINGS ESCALATE POWER OF PIPE BOMBS IS RISING IN RASH OF INCIDENTS WHICH SEEM LINKED, POLICE SAY

Authorities are stepping up an investigation into a recent series of mailbox bombings because the power of the explosions seems to be growing, officials said Friday.

The most recent blast, which occurred Wednesday evening, destroyed a streetside brick mailbox and propelled debris more than 100 feet, investigators said. The pipe bomb used was potent enough to maim or kill a person, authorities said.

Residents in three neighborhoods reported mailbox explosions this week, all on Tuesday or Wednesday. A fourth blast was reported in a trash can, Fire Department officials said.

The most recent and most powerful explosion happened in the Wishart Cove neighborhood.

``Oh, it was a terrible sound. I thought it was an automobile accident,'' said Margaret Karn, whose mailbox was blown up on Kingsway Drive. ``I came to the door and all I saw was white smoke.''

The dinnertime blast reduced Karn's stately mailbox to rubble. A two-by-two concrete slab marks the spot where it stood in her front yard. Brick shards were scattered through her yard and in a nearby gutter on Friday. Part of the mailbox wound up in a neighbor's back yard, Karn said.

``You wouldn't believe it, but I had a pretty nice mailbox,'' she said. Now, she said she has to keep watch for the mailman, because he has no place to leave her mail.

No one has been hurt in the bombings, and damage has been limited to the mailboxes and the trash can. There have been no arrests.

Fire Department spokesman Gary Widener said the other explosions happened on Sea Gull Bluff Drive in Ocean Park, Ocean View Avenue in Chesapeake Beach and Ewell Road in Thoroughgood.

``Any time that a device is set off, there is a concern that someone could be injured,'' Widener said.

Authorities said concern about the incidents is growing because it looks like the bombs are getting bigger and more dangerous.

Using small homemade bombs to blow apart mailboxes is a common juvenile prank. But authorities looking into these cases said the incidents appear to be escalating.

Investigators theorize that the blasts are related because of their proximity in time and location. But Widener said there is no other evidence that links the crimes.

Authorities said the bombs are unsophisticated and could be made from household materials found in virtually any garage or workshop. They lack any type of timing mechanisms, instead relying on fuses.

That means the person detonating the bombs must have been nearby shortly before the explosions, and likely hung around after to see the stir the bombs created.

Investigators said they don't have a motive for the bombings other than vandalism.

Authorities said pipe bombs are extremely dangerous because they can explode without warning. The volatile ingredients used to make the bombs can be triggered by sparks, heat, friction or static electricity.

Police and fire investigators are asking for the public's help to catch the people responsible. A reward of up to $1,000 is available for information on the cases. Anyone with information is asked to call 427-0000. Callers don't have to identify themselves and don't have to testify in court. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

IAN MARTIN/The Virginian-Pilot

Fragments of brick and a scarred patch are all that remains of

Margaret Karn's mailbox.

Photo

IAN MARTIN/The Virginian-Pilot

Margaret Karn's brick mailbox, in the Wishart Cove neighborhood, was

destroyed by a pipe bomb Wednesday evening. The bomb, which

propelled debris more than 100 feet, was potent enough to maim or

kill a person, Virginia Beach authorities said.

Graphic

THE EXPLOSIONS

Residents in three Virginia Beach neighborhoods reported mailbox