US

Sheriff Decides to Burn Down House Filled With Too Many Explosives

SAN MARCOS, Calif. (AP) — A San Diego County house where a man was operating a virtual bomb factory is so full of dangerous explosive material that it must be burned down, authorities said at a town hall meeting Tuesday night.

“There is no viable method to render the property safe,” Sheriff Bill Gore told about 300 residents gathered at a middle school. “It is also not habitable. The most effective way is to destroy the residence by fire.”

The audience gasped as the sheriff and other county officials showed slides of the rental home of George Djura Jakubec, which was full of hand grenades and powdered explosives in jars and in clumps on the floor.

Last week, explosives experts pulled out of the house in unincorporated Escondido, about 20 miles north of San Diego, saying it was too dangerous to continue investigating and removing the substances.

Gore said the house will be destroyed on Dec. 8 or after, depending on the weather.

“As soon as we get a clear weather pattern, we’re going to go,” he said.

But first, protective barriers will have to be built around the house, Gore said, and before the operation much of the surrounding neighborhood will be evacuated and Interstate 15 will be shut down.

The county declared a public emergency Tuesday to make the destruction possible.

Jakubec, a 54-year-old unemployed software consultant, pleaded not guilty last week to illegally making and possessing explosives and to robbing banks. Investigators suspect him of committing two holdups in San Diego County over the summer. He remained jailed on $5.1 million bail.

Authorities say it is unclear what Jakubec may have planned to do with the materials.

The explosives were discovered after a gardener was injured earlier this month in a blast that occurred when he stepped on explosive powder in the backyard, authorities said. Mario Garcia, 49, suffered eye, chest and arm injuries and was recovering.

The same types of chemicals have been used by suicide bombers and insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. They included Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN, which was used in the 2001 airliner shoe-bombing attempt as well as in last month’s airplane cargo bombs, authorities said.

The other chemicals were highly unstable Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, or HMTD, and Erythritol tetranitrate, or ETN, authorities said.

Neighbors were ambivalent about the planned destruction, with many expressing fears that the fire will cause harm and others saying it was the right move.

“I think they are looking out for our best interest,” Alan Haghighi, 24, who lives next door, said after the meeting. “My primary concern is the consideration of life, and making sure no one gets hurt again. Unfortunately, they’re willing to trade that off for my house burning to the ground.”

Haghighi had just started an Internet business out of his home when the explosives were discovered and he was forced to leave.

“My biggest fear is that my livelihood will be taken from me,” Haghighi said.

Authorities reassured him during the meeting that chances are slim his and other nearby houses will burn.

“The chemical effects of the fire will be neutralized very fast,” San Marcos fire Chief Todd Newman said.

Comments (81)

1 2
  • mikenleeds
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:14am

    another Cali. nut job .. land of the misfits…

    Report Post » mikenleeds  
  • jagr1850
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:08am

    hope you have JAKUBEC light the match that starts the fire to burn the house down…….moe, larry @ curly want to watch this moron on tv……..

    Report Post » jagr1850  
  • 4X4in
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:02am

    Does this add to GLOBAL WARMING (sorry, CLIMATE CHANGE)? Just wondering…….LOL

    Report Post »  
    • J.C. McGlynn
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 12:14pm

      Was thinking the same thing. Are the “climate change” nutjobs gonna picket it? Burning toxic chemicals? Other enviromentalists should be there as well.

      Report Post » J.C. McGlynn  
  • javablanca
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:01am

    i do believe “due process” is a judge reviewing the evidence and issuing an order. if you cram your house full of explosives stored in an unsafe manner (not to mention preparing devices to deliver said explosives), what the hell do you think is going to happen people?!

    Report Post »  
  • run42k
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:00am

    Maybe they could sneak it out to sea about 35 miles and launch the explosives in a missile and tell us it’s just the contrail of a jet…..oh, wait, never mind.

    Report Post » run42k  
  • Flagwaver
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:55am

    Well, I am really glad that they determined that the guy didn’t have any chemical weapons in his house… oh, wait, they didn’t.

    I’m also glad that they are waiting to burn the evidence until after he has been tried, so his lawyer can’t say there is no evidence in the case… oh, wait, they aren’t.

    Who do those fools think they are? If he has anything really powerful that you can buy on the civilian market, then all of the surrounding neighbors WILL lose their houses and several firefighters WILL lose their lives!

    Report Post » Flagwaver  
  • FedUP
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:46am

    I live about 45 minutes from this area and am concerned about what toxins might be released into the air. If the scene has not been processed to the point that they know exactly what chemicals are in the house how do they know it will not affect more people just those that live on the same street?

    Report Post » BOUGHT YOUR SILO YET?  
  • FedUP
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:37am

    This does not sound right at all. From what I have heard, there is so much garbage lying around officials have not even been able to process the entire property to know for certain what types of explosives may be in there. Wouldn‘t or couldn’t a fire cause a massive explosion if flammable materials are present? Furthermore, what about the owner of the house. How will he be compensated? Hope he is up to date on his homeowners insurance and hope his policy includes deliberately created fire.

    Report Post » BOUGHT YOUR SILO YET?  
  • common everyday citizen
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:37am

    To destroy the house because some “expert” says so sounds like they are jumping to a drastic and far too easy way of handling the stuff they are supposed to be trained on. The nut case who lived there might offer a clue to them on how to handle the stuff, whatever it is. Just sayin’ that in the answer the “expert” offers to make it safe they could very well be making the whole thing into a giganza over blown problem. Pun intended.

    What they are saying is that because of an expert opinion we are going to burn the entire house down with grenades, black powder, perhaps nuclear crap inside etc with a safe fence around it to capture all of the particles etc and then everything will be okie dokie -RIGHT!

    Report Post »  
  • tjdavid21444
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:37am

    What could possibly go wrong? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_t44siFyb4

    Report Post »  
  • Random Thoughts
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:37am

    “…chances are slim his and other nearby houses will burn.”

    Famous last words…

    Report Post »  
  • GrumpyCat
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:36am

    Being Kalifornia, I’m surprised they can file the Environmental Impact Study and get a permit from the EPA in only a week in order to burn the house. No telling how many unions they have to handhold. Surely ACORN’s replacement should be complaining about the destruction of an Affordable Housing Unit. Recreational drug legalization groups should be spending millions to defend this poor guy for being persecuted for possession of controlled chemical substances.

    Report Post »  
  • kkirt1
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:31am

    Do you remember the whale on the beach video? The one where the “Authorities” thought the best way to rid the beach of the dead whale was to blow it up. 100 pund chunks of dead, stinking whale flew 100′s of feet. This is going to be one of those videos!

    Report Post »  
  • NickinSeattle
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:25am

    This guy sounds like a whack job! Not that the Constitution matters in Kalifornia anymore but what happened to not depriving Citizens of their property without due process?

    Report Post » NickinSeattle  
  • Sledgehammer
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:22am

    Sounds like it could turn in to a shovel ready jobs program, you know kinda like rebuild an entire block? Fire and explosives, I’m just throwing a thought out there.

    Report Post » Sledgehammer  
  • Lone-Wolf
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:11am

    Lets see The Government setting a fire (Arson) in a residential neighborhood, nothing could go wrong there. All because cops nowadays are to ***** to do their jobs. Also so much for innocent until PROVEN guility in a Court of Law.

    Report Post » Lone-Wolf  
  • dkhartman
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:48am

    I would like a little more to this story to be honest.. I understand that the house is dangerous but there HAD to be more investigation than this to make such a drastic call like burning the house down…

    Report Post »  
    • lbsm
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:14am

      i agree…and it did say experts, but which experts? they always say“experts” and through the years i have come to understand that the “experts” could be anyone…or actually noone. it did NOT say anything about ATF or FBI. so are we to just take them at their word? i think not…this smells like a cover-up in a big big way. wouldn’t want the citizens to realize we let such a huge terror threat develop right next door…right under our noses now would we

      Report Post » lbsm  
  • HumanDoing
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:23am

    oh not another story that smells funny… See how this plays out. Explode the house? Neighbors homes SHOULDN’T be in danger of burning? Thats a lot of evidence to destroy.

    This story needs more vetting, but so now if you have a cell phone, some spare computer parts and may collect old military memorabilia… Is this Jeff Foxworthy ?

    If ya do this …ya might be a terrorist?

    Report Post » HumanDoing  
    • Max jones
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:15am

      Lol….as in “If you have a house full of explosives and grenades….you might be a terrorist.”

      Report Post » Max jones  
    • SgtB
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 2:33pm

      @ Max Jones
      I hope your not saying that target shooters who handload ammo are terrorists, and why can’t I own a few grenades? What’s wrong with that? They work great for home defense, and they come in handy out on the lake when the fishing isn’t going so well. But really, wouldn’t it just be cool to own a few professionally made and safe grenades? Instead, guys like this have to resort to making their own and now we have to burn down the house that he is renting because some nancy won’t go in there and bring the stuff out of the house.

      Report Post » SgtB  
    • slade37
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 3:05pm

      @STGB

      I didn’t view his statement that way. He was just doing a variation of Foxworthy’s “You might be a Redneck if…” routine which HUMANDOING mentioned.

      Report Post » slade37  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:21am

    George Djura Jakubec, Chechen?

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • randy
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:19am

    Something smells fishy here.

    Report Post » randy  
    • knotaclu
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:07am

      speaking of fishy, ever seen the video of the dead whale on the beach they packed with dynamite then blew it up? I see something bad happening here….

      Report Post »  
    • stang289
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:55pm

      like burning the evidence ? how do we know theres anything in the house ? and if there is what if it takes out the whole block ? real fishy !

      Report Post » stang289  
  • srcamachonj
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:15am

    What a moron, he’s going to destroy any possible evidence or usable intelligence. Suppose there are notebooks, or hard drives, or maps, or address books with contact names and future or current operational information on them? You never know unless you thoroughly process the crime scene.

    srcamachonj  
    • Midwest Belle
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:20am

      Would YOU want to go poking around in that mess, looking for evidence? I would not!

      Report Post » Midwest Blonde  
    • MAULEMALL
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:38am

      I am not surprised you wouldn’t but there are a crap load who would…

      Where is the ATF and the FBI…

      Why do I have to listen to a sheriff and some other middle management nobodies???

      Where are the ACTUAL experts..

      Report Post » MAULEMALL  
    • dkhartman
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:44am

      Thats hysterical. A gardner gets injured by stepping on powder and you think someone should investigate a house that has explosives EVERYWHERE! Hmm, maybe you would like to volunteer that responsibility?

      Report Post »  
    • dkhartman
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:46am

      MAULEMALL

      YAH, it WAS the explosives EXPERTS that pulled out of the house and rendered it unsafe.. Are we reading the same article?

      Report Post »  
    • MAULEMALL
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:17am

      Apparently not and I would appreciate it if you stop useing logic to make me look stupid…

      I am fully capable!

      Report Post » MAULEMALL  
    • biggreenboo
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:25am

      Now that’s funny… I’m with you on that.

      Report Post »  
    • SgtB
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 2:26pm

      @ midwest belle

      I’ll go in and look around for a while. It probably wouldn’t take long to actually get the bulky items out and in explosion safe containers or one of those cool trucks with a cement mixer like bed that can withstand huge explosions safely. Then they could actually go in and get evidence.

      P.S. I’m not sure that you realize the problems it will cause to the surrounding area if they shut down a major freeway in Ca, like the 15. The only way around that area north or south would be using diverting traffic to the already congested I-5 or a small 2 lane road through the mountains (which is great for motorcycles), then you would have to divert traffic back to the 15 north of Esondido, which you could do by shutting down Camp Pendleton and Naval Weapons Station Fallbrook (because highway 76 is already jam packed on a daily basis), or you could have everyone drive clear up to ortega highway (the 74) which is a mountainous pass that comes down Lake Elsinore several (~15 miles) north of Temecula, which is where most people on the I-15 in that area are going.

      So they basically want to divert traffic from a major interstate route to two small “mountain pass” style roads for anywhere from a few minutes to at worst days (if they are wrong and catch the neighborhood on fire…in December, aka the season in California when stuff burns because rainy season won’t start until Feb.)

      Note to the city of Escondido…
      If you are willing to pay for my plane flight, my boarding, and pay me fifty thousand dollars I will come to your city and clean up the bulk of the explosives so that your “explosives guy” can do his “job.” I will require that you provide the afformentioned large explosive handling truck though. But I am sure that my cost to the city would be far less than the cost of shutting down the interstate, evacuating housing for a mile radius, and having every firetruck from Temecula to Miramar in attendence.

      Report Post » SgtB  
    • patriot308
      Posted on December 2, 2010 at 2:12pm

      Some really juvenile comments: read my above post, as to why.

      Report Post »  
  • the Life Of Reilly
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:13am

    Unemployed , but has enough money to hire a gardener? . Prob a illegal immigrant gardener at that.

    Report Post » M31Sailor  
    • Midwest Belle
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:19am

      it’s a rental house – maybe the gardener was hired by the OWNER of the house?

      Report Post » Midwest Blonde  
    • Midwest Belle
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:22am

      Isn’t it possible the OWNER of the RENTAL HOUSE hired the gardener?

      Report Post » Midwest Blonde  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:33am

      Since spelling is big on your list, “a illegal” should be “an illegal”.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • the Life Of Reilly
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:36am

      Possible , But was the gardener illegal?

      Report Post » M31Sailor  
    • the Life Of Reilly
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:40am

      an

      Report Post » M31Sailor  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:02am

      Truce

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • Tokinpurp
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 5:57pm

      Its not his spelling, its his grammar. Tell me if you have ever heard of anyone spelling “an” wrong?

      Report Post »  
    • ChiefRider
      Posted on December 2, 2010 at 12:38am

      The Gardener is NOT an Illegal. I’m good friends with his Brother-in-Law.

      That being said….
      Setting fire to a house filled with EXPLOSIVES….What could possibly go wrong……

      Report Post » ChiefRider  
    • patriot308
      Posted on December 2, 2010 at 2:01pm

      Are some on this forum really this ignorant; or are liberals trying to paint an ignorant image.
      #1 He is an accused bank robber…. duh! The FBI is involved.
      #2 They are going to evacuate neighbors.
      #3 If?????? They try to sift through the house for evidence, one little detonation and everything goes off in sympathetic detonation. Really big DUH! Whether it is set off by robots or humans.
      #4 EXTREMELY few unstable materials will detonate with heat. Most will just decompose as the fire consumes volatile elements.
      #5 Almost all (down to PPM) biological contaminants will also be consumed with as little eco harm as possible.
      #6 It will not be a local sheriff lighting a match!!!!!! It will be a controlled fire, by fire professionals; most likely using accelerants, to raise temps in strategic areas.
      #7 Fire departments burn down meth labs all the time, there is no way to clean those either. The houses nearby can be wet down or foamed to limit or eliminate damage.

      Bottom line; GET A CLUE before posting and proving your as clueless, as the liberals we showcase.

      Report Post »  
  • john seven eighteen
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:12am

    “My biggest fear is that my livelihood will be taken from me,” Haghighi said

    Better than your life being taken from you by some nut-job with a vendetta against humanity.

    Report Post » john seven eighteen  
  • HouseNegro
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:11am

    He was just getting ready to defend his home. No big deal….

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • ->Click For Brain Enema<-
    Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:04am

    What a terrorist in California ? TEA party I am sure.

    -&gt;How To Work From Home Site&lt;-  
    • Neuhouser
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:15am

      I really hope they televise this. It’s bound to be an exciting event.

      Report Post » Neuhouser  
    • ADMIRAL747
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:16am

      Get all those radical Christians out first!!!

       
    • dwh320
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:21am

      That’s what we should do to Congress. As the Sheriff said “There is no viable method to render the property safe,”. With all the trash and corruption in the House and White House what else can we do?

      Report Post » dwh320  
    • ADMIRAL747
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:26am

      I wonder how many mosques qualify?

      Report Post »  
    • @leftfighter
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:30am

      This is stretching waaaay back, but while I was stationed at Camp Pendleton in the late ‘90’s, there was an incident of a grenade found on the side of the 5 in the Oceanside/Carlsbad/Escondido area sometime around ‘98 or ’99.

      I remember the incident specifically, because I was in the ammo community at the time and there was a major investigation onboard Pendleton and NWS Fallbrook to see if the grenade came from one of the units at one of the bases.

      Nothing was ever found, but scuttlebutt at the time had it that one of the Marines onbase smuggled the grenade off a range and realized they were looking at brig time if caught, so they ditched it.

      Maybe we’ve finally figured out the culprit??

      Report Post » @leftfighter  
    • Dustyluv
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 9:57am

      Why not just use a long fuse?
      I am sure the homeowner who gets arrested will get off for lack of evidence and then sue the State for burning down his house…
      Our justice system is great isnt it???

      Report Post »  
    • Polwatcher
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:04am

      This must be one of those retired military Christian racist terrorists that Napolitano spoke about.

      Report Post »  
1 2

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love