Mailbox bomber caught after returning to put out fire

Friday, April 6, 2012

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A disgruntled former employee who decided to light an explosive in a McCook company's mailbox might have gotten away with it had he not returned to stomp the resulting fire.

The offender, 50-year-old Kenneth E. Yeager of 1006 East B Street, was sentenced in Red Willow County District Court, April 2, to serve 24 months probation and pay $700 in restitution stemming from the May 2011 incident.

According to court documents Yeager had been an employee at Hancock Gravel and since his departure the business had been experiencing an "ongoing problem." The unspecified problems prompted ownership to install a security camera system just prior to the mailbox incident.

The camera system initially showed a vehicle which appeared similar to Yeager's stop near the mailbox and an unidentifiable figure appear to light something in the mailbox, just prior to it exploding. The vehicle is then seen driving on the road past the mailbox before coming to a stop as the driver jumps out to run up to the mailbox to stomp out a fire which ignited at its base.

A Red Willow County Sheriff's deputy viewing the video noticed the driver placed his hand on the remaining metal at the top of mailbox post as he stomped the fire out. The deputy sent that portion of the mailbox off to the Nebraska State Crime Lab which subsequently provided a matching palm and finger print that linked Yeager to the crime.

Court documents indicated the Sheriff's deputy believed there was sufficient evidence to charge Yeager with a Class III felony of use of an explosive to damage or destroy property, in addition to a Class IV felony charge of possession of a destructive device and a Class I misdemeanor of use of an explosive without a permit.

Red Willow County Attorney Paul Wood initially charged Yeager with a lone Class III felony charge of use of an explosive to damage or destroy property. Yeager was subsequently assigned a public defender in July and pleaded not guilty to charge in September.

Yeager failed to appear for a Feb. 6, 2012, hearing in the case, prompting the court to issue a warrant for his arrest. He accepted a plea agreement three days later, offered by Wood, that reduced the charge to a Class IV felony of attempted use of an explosive device and agreed to the state recommending probation at sentencing.

Yeager was subsequently sentenced, April 2, to 24 months community based intervention probation and to pay $700 in restitution to Hancock Gravel.

Red Willow County Sheriff Gene Mahon told the Gazette Thursday that investigators were not able to identify exactly what Yeager used to cause the explosion, but it was believed to be "a large firecracker of some sort."