Saturday, June 13, 2009

Foreclosed Homeowner Accused Of Booby-Trapping Former House Skips Arraignment, Heads For Parts Unknown; Bond Revoked

In Riverside, California, The Desert Sun reports:
  • A Riverside man accused of planting fake explosive devices around a property he owned but lost in foreclosure(1) failed to make a scheduled court appearance today, prompting a judge to issue an arrest warrant. Daniel Gherman, 41, faces one felony count each of assembling a booby trap, planting a facsimile bomb and burglary for allegedly hiding dangerous-looking devices outside a [his former] home [...]. Gherman was slated to appear for arraignment [Wednesday] afternoon [...]. However, the defendant was a no-show, prompting [the judge] to revoke Gherman's current bail bond and issue a bench warrant for his arrest, a court clerk said. [...] Gherman was [originally] arrested the night of May 12. He was freed on $42,000 bail the following day, according to jail records.

For the story, see Man accused of planting booby trap in foreclosed home a court no-show.

(1) According to the story, a real estate agent working for the foreclosing bank was checking the property when he spotted what appeared to be bombs and immediately contacted police, authorities said. Members of the Riverside Police Department's Hazardous Devices Team cordoned off the area, evacuating nearby homes, while technicians determined whether the devices posed a threat. Technicians used a remote-controlled, armor-plated robot to disable several suspicious objects and detonated others. The operation ran well into the night and resumed the following day, until authorities were satisfied the property was safe. An FBI agent joined the investigation, but no federal charges have been filed. DeputyEvictionTheta