Suspect Is Held After Discovery of Drug, Bombs

A Van Nuys man landed in jail Tuesday after police officers, called to the home he shared with his wife to quell a domestic dispute, found several homemade bombs and an undisclosed amount of cocaine, Los Angeles police said.

Fred Joseph Ziepfel, 33, a pipe fitter at the General Motors plant in Van Nuys, was arrested at his home in the 14200 block of Gilmore Street on suspicion of possessing destructive devices, Detective Bob Muldrew said. Ziepfel was being held in lieu of $60,000 bail at the Van Nuys Jail, police said.

Muldrew, of the Police Department’s criminal conspiracy section, said: “It was a husband-and-wife argument. They started arguing and pushing and fighting each other. She called the police.”

Police, who would not identify Ziepfel’s wife, said patrol officers arrived at the home about midnight Monday, separated the couple and were escorting Ziepfel out of the home when his wife asked the officers to also remove her husband’s gun collection.

“She said she was scared of his guns and didn’t want them left in the house,” Muldrew said.

Muldrew said officers then began removing several handguns and rifles, all of which Ziepfel had legally obtained, from a cabinet in the home. However, Muldrew said, at the bottom of the cabinet the officers found the small homemade bombs, and Ziepfel was arrested. Muldrew said, “There were several, more than three. They were all home-improvised explosives.”

After finding the bombs, police searched the home and found what they termed a large amount of hidden cocaine, Muldrew said.

The explosives were removed by the bomb squad, Muldrew said. An investigation was continuing Tuesday.