MOORPARK : Potential Bomb Ingredients Found

Police investigating the Nov. 21 bombing of a Simi Valley house found potential bomb ingredients at the Moorpark home of the chief suspect, according to a search warrant made public Monday.

Gasoline, bleach, duct tape, two cans of propane and a box of ball bearings were found in a search at the Westwood Street home of James R. McKeever, according to the warrant filed in Ventura County Municipal Court.

McKeever, 43, was arrested less than 24 hours after a pipe bomb was hurled into a Simi Valley house occupied by his wife’s ex-husband, John Monroe, and Monroe’s wife, Charlene Mayer. The 33-year-old Mayer suffered serious leg injuries, while Monroe, 34, received shrapnel injuries on his leg and torso.

The warrant describes the bomb as a 1 1/2-inch-diameter pipe bomb that contained gunpowder and used 1/8-inch ball bearings as shrapnel. Attached to the bomb with duct tape were a butane cylinder and a plastic canister of gasoline, the warrant said.

The bomber pried back the screen from the sleeping couple’s bedroom window and broke the glass before tossing the device onto their bed, according to the warrant. The plastic container of gasoline was ruptured by the broken glass, causing the fuel to ignite when it contacted the bomb fuse, the warrant said.

Monroe was awakened by the flames and covered the blazing device with bedding, the warrant said. It said the bomb was constructed to inflict severe injury or death and to create a massive fireball after the explosion.

“Only the actions of the victim . . . prevented the bomb from reaching its full potential,” the warrant said.

Monroe and McKeever’s wife, Karen Dunlop, are involved in a bitter custody dispute over their 7-year-old son, according to a sworn statement filed by Simi Valley Police Lt. Bob Klamser to obtain the warrant. Monroe also said he and Mayer had moved to the Lundy Drive house only two weeks before the bombing, and that few of their friends knew their new address on Lundy Drive.

Monroe told investigators that McKeever knew of their new residence, however, because he had the 7-year-old point it out to him, according to the affidavit.

The warrant quotes Monroe and another informant as saying that McKeever had often spoken of having extensive military experience with explosives, according to Klamser’s affidavit.

McKeever is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 8 on two charges of attempted murder. He is being held in County Jail with bail set at $250,000.