Illegal Material Pilfered Over 10 Years, Police Say : Marine Hero Accused of Stealing Explosives

A Simi Valley man arrested on suspicion of possessing 45 pounds of a powerful illegal explosive is a former Marine sergeant who served four tours of duty in Vietnam and was awarded the Silver Star, police said Thursday.

John Donald Ommondson, 43, told Simi Valley police that he stole 18 packages of C-4 plastic explosive, each weighing 2 1/2 pounds, plus ammunition, two land mines, detonator cords and other military paraphernalia while serving in the Marines for 20 years, Detective Gordon Weeks said.

The explosives were enough to level a high-rise building, police said.

Ommondson, arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possessing a destructive device, is being held at Ventura County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. He is to be arraigned today or Monday in Ventura Municipal Court, Weeks said.

Molestation Investigation

Ommondson also is being investigated on allegations of child molestation but was not arrested for that purported offense, Weeks said.

Police said they discovered the explosives and other military equipment Wednesday in a storage garage rented by Ommondson while searching for evidence to corroborate a molestation complaint filed by Ommondson’s 16-year-old son earlier this month.

Ommondson, who is unemployed, was arrested at his home without incident, Sgt. Tony Harper said.

The suspect told police that he retired as a staff sergeant from the Marines in 1978, Weeks said. During his two decades in the service, Ommondson was awarded four Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and several other commendations, Weeks said.

Most of the explosives were taken in a 10-year period during which Ommondson was stationed at several bases in the United States, police said, although some were taken from Vietnam.

Harper said that C-4 explosives are legally available only to the military.

Police also found parts for booby traps that could be used to detonate the explosives in the storage room, along with military manuals on how to build such devices, Weeks said.

Ommondson told police that he was not planning to use the explosives. Ommondson’s son has been in protective custody at a foster home since he filed the molestation complaint, Weeks said.