43
Non-explosive pipe bomb found outside Betras law office
By ROBERT CONNELLY
CANFIELD
A nonexplosive pipe bomb was found outside a broken window of the Betras law office Thursday morning.
Dave Betras, Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman, arrived to find a broken window on the second story of his law office, Betras, Kopp & Harshman LLC, on Seville Drive in Canfield Township.
Outside the window on the ground was a pipe bomb. “Out of an abundance of caution, we called the sheriff,” Betras said.
The window did not belong to anyone specific in the office, Betras added.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department, federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Cardinal Joint Fire District and the Youngstown Police Department Bomb Squad were all at the business.
The bomb squad arrived before 10 a.m. and sent in a small robot to get a look at the device. After that, a member of the bomb squad got in a full protective suit and was driven up to the business. Authorities were set up in the Stifel Nicolaus & Co. office, and that building also was evacuated during the incident.
The officer walked up and set off a disruptive device against the bomb, Youngstown police Lt. Douglas Bobovnyik said.
About 10:40 a.m., someone yelled out, “Fire in the hole!” and the disruptive device was activated.
Had it been a live bomb, it would have exploded.
Everyone who was watching was told to get behind the Stifel building just in case. The disruptive device also allows evidence to still be collected since it preserves the bomb, Bobvynik explained.
The bomb squad serves six counties in eastern Ohio and is made up of Youngstown officers. The van the squad was using Thursday was paid for by Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
Betras and his office staff went back to work but lost half of the workday, Betras said.
Mahoning County Sheriff’s Maj. Jeff Allen said, “There was no powder to it. It was a replica — it had end caps, had a wick on it, looked just like a pipe bomb.” The wick was intact and never had been lit, he noted.
Authorities collected evidence and sent it to a crime lab. Allen said Thursday afternoon that surveillance cameras did not capture any image of the culprit.
Betras recalled a previous threat. “Back in 1998, I had a bomb threat,” he said, adding that at that time he was a special prosecutor. “I’ve never had a physical, actual bomb at my office.”
Before the bomb squad arrived, Betras said, “I get my fair amount of threats and bullying. Sure I do, and so do the candidates and office-holders.”
When asked if he had angered anyone recently, Betras laughed very hard and said, “No, I never anger anyone — but this is serious, and I don’t mean to chuckle. But there’s a lot of people running for office out there everyday in the public, and we’re taking it very serious.”