County bomb squad seizes explosive devices at Napa home
By CARLOS VILLATORO
Register Staff Writer
November 8th, 2009
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The rumbling felt by some West Pueblo Avenue residents Friday was not a renegade firework going off.
It was an improvised explosive device that was recovered from a nearby home and disposed of by the Napa County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad.
The bomb was recovered by Napa Special Investigation Bureau agents as they executed a search warrant at the home of Joseph Eugene Kinder on West Pueblo Avenue, according to a NSIB press release.
On Friday, agents arrested Kinder, 55, of Napa, on suspicion of a multitude of gun charges, including possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and possession of ammunition by an ex-felon, as well as possession of stolen property and drug paraphernalia.
The agents went to Kinder’s home to search it after gathering information that Kinder, a convicted felon, had guns, bomb-making components and drugs, according to the NSIB.
Officers posted near the residence watched as Kinder drove away from the home.
With the assistance of Napa police, the officers pulled Kinder over, detained him and returned to his home to search it.
Inside Kinder’s residence, agents discovered a small arsenal including:
• 11 rifles;
• Eight pistols;
• A flare gun;
• Large amounts of ammunition;
• Several improvised explosive devices;
• Components for making explosives;
• A variety of dangerous weapons, including throwing stars, cane swords and a medieval mace.
The agents also located a large cache of illegal fireworks, a small amount of hallucinogenic drug and a methamphetamine pipe. After doing some checks, the agents learned that several of the seized firearms had been reported stolen, the NSIB said.
Police assisted with the evacuation of neighbors and closed West Pueblo Avenue for about three hours while a Napa County Sheriff’s Department Hazardous Device Team removed the explosives and hazardous materials from the home.
Bomb squad officers deemed one of the devices that was removed from the home unsafe to store as evidence and destroyed it, rattling the neighborhood with a large explosion.
Kinder was taken to jail.
The NSIB is a drug task force comprised of members from the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Napa County Sheriff’s Department, Napa Police Department and Napa County Probation Department. St. Helena and Calistoga Police Departments contribute financial support to the NSIB.
Correction: An earlier version of this article contained an incorrect age for Kinder
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clean and serene wrote on Jul 13, 2009 12:20 AM:
shangman wrote on Jul 13, 2009 1:08 AM:
gogojr1 wrote on Jul 13, 2009 1:23 AM:
jfz wrote on Jul 13, 2009 7:26 AM:
JustAnotherManicMonday wrote on Jul 13, 2009 7:41 AM:
napa neighbor wrote on Jul 13, 2009 8:02 AM:
napabicycler wrote on Jul 13, 2009 8:21 AM:
c'mon reg get it right wrote on Jul 13, 2009 8:40 AM:
I guess the Register does not cover local news on the weekends. Not even an update with basic details.
I guess my rant is really better for a letter to the editor.
Good Job NSIB! Sounds like you got a potential wacko off the streets. "
NAPANATIVE wrote on Jul 13, 2009 8:40 AM:
littlecat wrote on Jul 13, 2009 9:21 AM:
diehard4ever wrote on Jul 13, 2009 9:33 AM:
BTW-
How big is a "large explosion"? "
Cowboy wrote on Jul 13, 2009 9:38 AM:
ctworker wrote on Jul 13, 2009 10:02 AM:
all explosives are plenty dangerous, some more so than others. I would have to think, from the info. in the story, that while this explosive may not have been extremely powerful, something about its makeup made it extremely unstable and thus extremely dangerous. "
napa neighbor wrote on Jul 13, 2009 11:17 AM:
steph wrote on Jul 13, 2009 12:32 PM:
crusherfan wrote on Jul 13, 2009 3:02 PM:
glenroy wrote on Jul 13, 2009 4:41 PM:
shangman wrote on Jul 13, 2009 5:44 PM:
vinobobareno wrote on Jul 13, 2009 7:10 PM:
thoughtank wrote on Jul 13, 2009 8:23 PM:
Kudos to law enforcement for nabbing this guy without anyone being hurt or killed.
I agree with Steph. Why was nothing posted on Nixle after this event? This seems like the perfect medium for communicating this type of information quickly.
Could someone from the city of Napa address why there is (still) no information on the Napa Nixle website about this incident? Will Napa be posting this type of information on the Nixle website in the future? What are the city of Napa's criteria for posting incidents such as this one that affect the public? (Hint: The criteria should include that the information be posted as close to "real time" as possible in order to get people to use it and in order to be effective.) "
Mr. Feasor wrote on Jul 13, 2009 11:55 PM:
I don't know if the volume of the explosion was due to the bomb squad's detonation device, or the IED itself.
But it was loud. Even several blocks away.
Well done, NSIB. And bad job, NVR. It took way too long for this to be disclosed. "
napa neighbor wrote on Jul 14, 2009 9:33 PM: