Official is unsure about charges against city man with stockpile

The homeowner said he doesn't want to live in the city anymore.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City Prosecutor Jay Macejko says he needs more information before deciding whether to file charges against the man whose house was jampacked with bomb-making ingredients.
Macejko said Wednesday that he's waiting for lab results on some of the substances taken from 611 Ferndale Ave. last Friday. He's also awaiting analysis of some of the weapons found at the South Side house.
Among the items taken by the Youngstown Police Department Bomb Squad from 53-year-old Randy Telshaw's house were bomb-making books and 80-pound bags of ammonium nitrate, an agricultural fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate mixed with a racing fuel was used in April 1995 to blow up the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168.
Telshaw, who is staying with friends in Austintown, admits he had bomb-making books but says he never intended to make a bomb or hurt anyone. "Just because I read books about flying to the moon doesn't mean I'd try it," he said Wednesday.
The first-floor windows and doors of his two-story brick house have been boarded up and there are padlocks on the doors.
Looking to live elsewhere
"He says he can't go back, he's afraid," said Arlie Utsinger of Boardman, a longtime friend of Telshaw's. "He said he wants to take his time to look for another house."
Utsinger said Telshaw's fears stem from a home invasion last week that resulted in him being shot in both arms. The three suspects remain at large.
Utsinger called police after finding the door open when he went to check on the house for Telshaw, who was hospitalized at the time. The officers who responded spotted the suspicious materials and several firearms and summoned the bomb squad.
"I'm trying to get the place cleaned out, and I'm making good progress," Telshaw said of his pre-move efforts. "The scrap company I work for will load up what I don't want, and then I'll put a 'for sale' sign on the house."
Telshaw said he'll look for a place to live outside of Youngstown.
Attempted robbery
Of the attempted robbery, Telshaw said everything happened so fast and he has no idea what the thieves wanted.
"Most of what I have is weird stuff, like portable generators I bought when everybody was concerned about Y2K," he said.
Worldwide, many people stockpiled food and water and bought generators anticipating a global computer meltdown and disruption of services in the new century.
When asked about the bags of ammonium nitrate, Telshaw said he's the type of person who buys in bulk and then stores what he buys.
Last week, Detective Sgt. Joe DeMatteo, head of the bomb squad, said that, separately, the items Telshaw stockpiled are legal but when found together present a problem, much as the over-the counter ingredients found in meth labs.
"As far as I know, none of the stuff I had was illegal to buy," Telshaw said, adding that he's eager to see if any charges are filed. "I bought the guns at gun shows. I'd like to think that I can get them back."
Police collected six assault-type rifles, a shotgun, box after box of ammunition, grenades, a Ruger pistol, a bazooka, roughly 300 to 400 pounds of smokeless powder, inert mortar shells and much more.
Telshaw, who drives a truck for the scrap business, said he won't be able to drive for a long time because of the gunshot wounds to his arms. He said he has some mobility in his left arm but his right arm has pins in it.
meade@vindy.com