Maryland State Fire Marshal
News Release
Martin O’Malley Governor
William E. Barnard State Fire Marshal
JUVENILE CHARGED WITH DETONATING “SODA BOTTLE BOMBS” CHARLES COUNTY, MD (July 9, 2013) – Deputy State Fire Marshals have charged a 14 year-old male juvenile with Manufacture, Possession and Distribution of a Destructive Device after investigators determined he had intentionally placed the devices in his neighbor’s front yard and doorstep. The incident originally occurred overnight on July 4, 2013 at 20 Marshall Road in Waldorf, Maryland. The homeowners notified authorities the next morning after locating the remains of the devices. No injuries were reported as result of the incident. The juvenile was released to the custody of his parents pending actions by the Charles County Department of Juvenile Services. Such devices are referred to as, Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s). Penalties for these devices are up to 25 years imprisonment and/or $250,000 in fines. The construction of these devices in this and similar incidents are often misrepresented as pranks, however the destructive effect and potential of serious bodily injury is extremely high. ### Media contact: Bruce D. Bouch, Deputy State Fire Marshal; 443-324-6876 The Office of the State Fire Marshal is an agency of the Department of State Police dedicated to helping protect citizens from fire and explosion through a comprehensive program of education, inspection, investigation and fire protection engineering. For more information on fire safety call 1-800-525-3124, log onto our website at: www.mdsp.org/firemarshal and/or http://facebook.com/MarylandStateFireMarshal.
1201 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208