2 Held, Linked to Bomb Made From Stolen Dynamite

Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men Wednesday in connection with the construction and planting of a dynamite time bomb found outside an abandoned store in El Cajon earlier this month.

James Jacobson, 30, a mechanic of San Diego, and George Vanderwall, 26, of Santee, were arrested after officials searched their residences, said Sgt. Connie Grayson of the Sheriff’s Bomb and Arson Squad. They were linked to the bomb through fingerprints lifted from the device by the Sheriff’s Department, he said.

Both men are suspected of possessing and manufacturing a destructive device and receiving stolen property, Grayson said. Vanderwall also faces charges of possession of marijuana.

Grayson said the dynamite found Nov. 2 in El Cajon was part of the 800 pounds of explosives stolen from the Gordon Carter Construction Co. in Ramona in March, 1988. Officials have recovered several hundred pounds of the explosives in 17 different incidents since the dynamite was reported missing, he said. However, Grayson said a couple of cases of the high-powered dynamite have not been found.

“It’s the hottest thing in the county right now,” he said, adding that a single stick of the dynamite, which sells for as much as $200, could easily destroy a car and kill all occupants. Investigators would not say whether the pair are suspects in the original theft.

Searches of both Jacobson and Vanderwall’s residences did not uncover any more dynamite, Grayson said. However, Gerald E. Clifton, 43, of the same address as Vanderwall, was arrested on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine and marijuana, and possessing methamphetamine and marijuana for sale, he said.