Teens Face Serious Charges Over Explosive Device

One of the teens reportedly said he "did not intend to hurt anyone," was not a "'bomb' person," and was only "experimenting."

Photos: Clackamas County Sheriff

(CLACKAMAS, Ore.) - A "fairly sophisticated explosive device" was discovered July 4th in the wetlands adjacent to Happy Valley Park in Clackamas, a popular location for families.

Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Spokesman Jim Strovink says nobody was injured by the device; but two teenagers are in custody and face serious charges.

Deputies responded to the park over a report of the suspicious device at 4:30 PM. Fortunately Strovink says, a parent's phone call had given these investigators a lead.

"Earlier that day, the mother of a 16-year-old Happy Valley juvenile had reported to Deputy Lon Steinhauer that her son had been building a bomb out of available materials. Deputy Steinhauer had interviewed the juvenile in question, and he'd denied knowledge of the item."

Deputies went to the juvenile's residence, where the mother told them the boy was in the house with a friend. Strovink says they made contact and this time, the boy admitted that he and his 16-year old male friend had in fact made the device found in the park.

Strovink says that after this confession, the teens were cooperative with deputies, answering questions in detail and accompanying deputies back to the park to clarify certain details in the case.

"They said they'd made the explosive device 'to surprise the people in the park,' and had placed it in the wetland at approximately 7:00 PM on July 3rd."

He says they were actually traveling back to the park on July 4th -- but went to one boy's residence after seeing their explosive device "surrounded" by cops.

The teen who lived at the residence reportedly said he "did not intend to hurt anyone," was not a "'bomb' person," and was only "experimenting."

But Strovink says his "experiment" came at a terrible price: Both boys were transported to DEL Detention Center in Portland on charges of Disorderly Conduct, Possession of Explosive Devices and Manufacturing of an Explosive Device. All classified as a class C felony.

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office spokesman says they will not discuss any details of the explosive device.

Oregon law enforcement agencies regularly report names of juvenile offenders charged with serious crimes, but Clackamas indicates that it will not reveal the names of the two juveniles in question.