THOUSAND OAKS : Man Pleads Not Guilty in Bomb Case

A 26-year-old Thousand Oaks man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges of making a pipe bomb and possessing the components needed to make explosives.

Jess Eugene Oliver was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell on charges of possession of a destructive device and ingredients to make a destructive device, and of receiving stolen property.

Oliver was arrested Jan. 8 after Ventura County sheriff’s deputies found a pipe bomb, a carbon dioxide cartridge equipped with a fuse and gunpowder, components to make a pipe bomb, and firecrackers, Senior Dist. Atty. Charles R. Roberts said.

Oliver also attempted to sell a stolen rifle to an undercover sheriff’s deputy also on Jan. 8, Roberts said.

During a March 16 preliminary hearing, Detective Joseph F. Braga of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department testified that a bomb similar to the cartridge device found in Oliver’s residence was used to destroy the facade of a Domino’s Pizza restaurant in Thousand Oaks.

The explosion, which occurred July 30, 1990, sent debris flying 40 feet, Braga testified.

But Roberts declined to comment on any connection between the incident and pending charges against Oliver.

If convicted on all charges, Oliver would face a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in prison.

The bomb charges carry a mandatory prison sentence, Roberts said.

Oliver is free on $5,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for May 1.