2012 annual report - Ashland Police Department

CASE: Car BombLate in the afternoon ofJuly 28th, 2011, an innocent andunsuspecting woman left herworkplace at the usual time tohead home and spend the restof the evening with her family.As she walked across the streetfrom her place of employmentto the parking garage, nothingunusual caught her eye, nothingappeared suspicious, all was well.She entered the parking garageand approached her shiny whiteconvertible Mustang, ready todrop the top and enjoy the warmair on the drive home.As she pushed the unlockbutton on her key fob she noticedthe lights of the Mustang didnot flash and the doors failed tounlock. Assuming the battery hadgone dead; she casually revertedto the old fashioned practice ofunlocking the door with the keyand gave it no further thought. Shesat down in the driver’s seat andbegan to close the door behindher. This is where her day changed.After closing the door, shepositioned herself to prepareto drive, placed the key in theignition, and reached her footfor the brake pedal. Suddenly, aloud, concussive, fiery explosionconsumed her and her car. Theconvertible top she had hopedto lower for the drive home wasforced upward by the pressureand completely torn from the car.The doors on each side of the carpushed outward so much the doorhandles were blown off. Everywindow was blown out and glasspeppered the surrounding carslanding all the way to the far endof the parking garage. Flames shotup and around the woman as shesat helplessly and confused in thedriver’s seat. As soon as she hadthe sense to move she rushed fromthe car miraculously surviving withminor burns and bruises to herarms and legs.The scene looked like itcame straight out of a Hollywoodmafia movie. A mob hit on anunsuspecting rival. It’s interestinga similar defense would laterbe claimed by the suspect andeventual convicted perpetratorof this crime. His claim would notbe of a hit by the mob but insteadby Columbia drug lords and theirJamaican conspirators.Immediately after the incident,emergency personnel quicklyarrived on scene to render aid anddetermine what had happened.The first two police officers onscene slowly approached thesmoke filled parking garage andnoticed the strong odor of gunpowder. As they got closer to themangled Mustang they noticedthe remnants of a PVC pipe andwiring lying besidethe car. They hastilyfled the garagefearing a possiblesecondary explosivedevice. However, itwas now apparentthis explosion wascaused by a pipebomb.After being taken to theclosest emergency room, thevictim was advised by the doctorto go pursue further treatment ata nearby burn unit. She refusedinstead opting to go back homewith her loving husband so hecould care for her. So after shespoke with police, she, beingreassured that her husband wouldprotect her, went home with herhusband.In the meantime,investigators for the Ashland,KY Police Department, KentuckyState Police, and Federal Bureauof Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearmswere searching the bomb sitelooking for any clues as to whysomeone would want to hurt aninnocent working woman andwho would have the expertiseto construct such a device. ATFagents also traveled to the homeof the victim and located severalitems of interest owned by thevictim’s husband. After months ofinvestigation, interviews, forensicexaminations, and follow-ups onlyone person stuck out, the originalperson of interest, the victim’s own“loving” husband.