Bail reduction denied in bomb materials case

Bail reduction denied in bomb materials case

ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — A judge has refused to reduce bail for a college student from Russia charged with possession of bomb-making and marijuana-growing materials.

Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey Auker declined the motion in the Blair County case of 18-year-old Vladislav Miftakhov of San Carlos, Calif. He was arrested after Altoona police said they found the materials in his rented room near the Penn State-Altoona campus, about 85 miles east of Pittsburgh.

A preliminary hearing on charges including possession of weapons of mass destruction and risking a catastrophe was rescheduled for Feb. 18.

Defense attorney Robert Donaldson said his client comes from a good family and has no criminal record, and there’s more to the story. He said “once the facts come out, people will see a different side of this.”