Three teens charged with making, exploding pipe bombs

RANGELEY — Three teenagers are facing charges after police said they made two pipe bombs and detonated them in the areas of Allen and Depot streets Saturday evening.

After an extensive investigation, Rangeley police Chief Dennis Leahy and officer Jared Austin interviewed three suspects in the case and charged them, Leahy said. The boys, 15, 16, and 17, all from Rangeley, each were issued summons on charges of felony criminal use of explosives and misdemeanor criminal mischief on Tuesday and Wednesday, he said. They were released to their parents' custody and are scheduled to appear on Dec. 31 in Juvenile Court in Farmington.

Police received information earlier that evening that three juveniles were manufacturing pipe bombs, Leahy said.

Shortly afterward, at 10:30 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., there were reports of two explosions in town, he said. One was in the the northern portion of Allen Street and the other was in the area of Depot Street.

On Sunday morning, a report came in that a vehicle had been damaged on Allen Street. Officer Eric Quatrano responded and found a side window of a sport utility vehicle blown out. Quatrano recovered evidence that showed it was an explosive device that caused the damage, Leahy said.

According to Leahy, the minors were repackaging some sort of fireworks into another container at one of their residences and took them to the two locations and detonated them. "Luckily while they were making these things and transporting them, they didn't blow their hands off," he said.

One of the participants confessed to police that it "was a stupid thing that they did," Leahy said.

Local authorities were notified of the situation in town prior to suspects being charged, he said.

dperry@sunjournal.com