Chemical weapons charge added to man with dozens of bombs

A former Fairborn resident and Wright State University graduate reportedly had more than 80 explosives devices, plus the materials to make more, inside his van when he was stopped on Interstate 70 New Years Day, the Columbus bomb squad commander testified Friday.

Andrew Scott Boguslawski, 43, of Moores Hill, Ind., faces a new charge of illegal assembly and possession of chemical weapons in addition to his initial felony charge of illegal manufacture or processing of explosives. The charges stem from a traffic stop New Years Day on westbound I-70 in Madison County when Trooper W. Scott Davis said he clocked Boguslawski driving 85 mph in a 70 mph zone.

During a preliminary hearing in Madison County Municipal Court, Davis testified he noticed several bumper stickers on the 2005 white Dodge caravan. One said, If youre reading this, youre within range, and another stated, Need Ammo? Factory Direct. He asked Boguslawski if he had any weapons in the vehicle, to which he said, Nope.

But when Davis returned with a ticket, he said he saw what looked like the butt of a gun between Boguslawskis knees as he leaned toward the passenger seat.

I said, I thought you told me there were no weapons. And he said, Theres not. And I said, Whats that between your legs? Davis testified.

Davis held him at gunpoint until backup arrived, during which time Boguslawski said the weapon was fake and offered to show the trooper that it was. During a pat-down, Davis said he located rounds for a 223 rifle and .22-caliber gun inside Boguslawskis pockets, along with two knives and some green notebooks.

With assistance from other troopers, a search of the vehicle revealed the gun between Boguslawskis legs was a fake orange pistol inside a holster that was bolted to the drivers seat. However, troopers did find a Beretta 9mm holstered to the drivers seat next to the seat belt, loaded with a bullet in the chamber with the safety off, on top of a loaded Smith & Weston Walter P-22. They also found a 223 sniper rifle, AR-15, and .22-caliber zip gun with two banana clips inside the van, Davis said.

Behind the passenger seat, Davis said they found a camcorder bag with containing what looked like IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, made of several 5-hour Energy bottles that had fuses protruding out of them. At that point, Davis said he called for the Columbus bomb squad.

The van had several bags and containers of explosives, some assembled and some in process, along with materials to make more. In total, bomb squad members found 58 improvised explosive initiators, made of tubing and straws and containing explosives, or energetic matter, that can be used to set off other explosives, along with 25 IEDs inside bottles.

Some of the bombs were timed, that could be set off by lighting the fuse, while others were electrical and could be set off using a remote device. There was also a remote detonating device inside the van that could be set off using a remote key fob detonator. They also located a bomb weighing 1.5 pounds inside a large pill bottle, which contained too much explosive to safely transport, said Capt. Steve Saltsman, commander of the Columbus bomb squad.

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Chemical weapons charge added to man with dozens of bombs

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