Southard may face federal charges for explosives
From our weekly issue dated July 28, 2010
An Illinois Valley resident may be facing federal charges for his alleged possession of explosive devices in O“Brien earlier this year.
Merle Southard, 30, has been lodged in Josephine County Jail in Grants Pass since Jan. 15 under a parole violation charge.
On Feb. 11, an unidentified O“Brien resident phoned 911 to report explosive devices on Cobalt Road. The devices were inside a tent that the caller was packing up, said Josephine County Sheriff“s Office (JCSO).
According to JCSO logs recorded at the time, the devices resembled a fire extinguisher canister with the top removed. A cap was placed over the device with wires coming out and wrapped around the canister.
The devices were found inside a backpack with two other canisters that did not have wire. The tent was located 40 yards from any structure.
An Oregon State Police bomb squad was dispatched to remove the devices. Southard was identified as a suspect in the incident.
On July 8, he was among many suspects to face arraignment before Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Lindi Baker at the courthouse in Grants Pass. Southard attended via teleconference from the county jail.
Deputy District Attorney Anne Marie Kirchoff told Baker that Southard“s case might be picked up by federal officials, and that she was waiting to hear back from them. Kirchoff added that the district attorney“s office cannot proceed with prosecuting the case until they know if federal officials plan to file charges.
Baker pointed out that the case already had been postponed eight times.
“I just don“t want this case to languish,“ Baker said.
Southard“s next hearing was scheduled for Thursday, July 15, but no action was taken at that time.
On Thursday, July 22, a hearing was held in which an attorney representing Southard made a motion for the suspect“s conditional release. That motion was denied by Judge Thomas Hull.
Southard remains lodged in jail on $30,000 bail. He still is facing two counts of possession of a destructive device and manufacture of a destructive device and one count of assault of a public safety officer.
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