Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : 2 Teen-Agers Held After Bombs Found in Mailboxes

Two teen-agers have been arrested on suspicion of placing “acid bombs” in two mailboxes, causing a resident to suffer minor burns when caustic fluid from one of the homemade devices spilled on her, authorities said Tuesday.

The plastic bottle filled with acid and nestled in smoldering trash apparently was designed to make the mailbox explode but malfunctioned, said Sgt. Noel Lanier of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

It was not clear whether the other acid bomb--discovered Sunday in the same Sand Canyon neighborhood--detonated as planned, but no one was injured, Lanier said.

Interviews in the area, where homes are separated by lots several acres in size, led to the arrests Monday night of Jason Michael Kenney 18, and a 15-year-old who was not identified because he is a juvenile. Both youths live about half a mile from the vandalized mailboxes.

Kenney was in custody Tuesday at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station in lieu of $500,000 bail, Lanier said. A deputy at the station said Kenney is scheduled to be arraigned today in Newhall Municipal Court on felony charges of making and possessing an explosive device.

The 15-year-old is in custody at San Fernando Juvenile Hall, according to sheriff’s deputies.

The injured woman, 53-year-old Susan Williamson, suffered first-degree burns on her legs but declined to be treated at a hospital. She said she was hurt when she returned home from work about noon Monday to check her mail and instead discovered a crumpled soft-drink bottle that oozed yellow liquid as she removed it.

“As I stood there, my pantyhose disintegrated,” Williamson said. “It was scary.”

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The liquid caused a tingling sensation, but was not painful, Williamson said. She said she used a nearby garden hose to wash down her reddened legs several times, declining suggestions from paramedics that she seek medical help.

Word of the acid bomb spread quickly among neighbors, Lanier said, and investigators soon learned of the other device found a day earlier.

Sheriff’s investigators do not know why the bombs were placed in the mailboxes, or whether the people who found them were intentionally targeted, Lanier added.

Acid bombs typically consist of a weak acid liquid placed in a container and mixed with other substances, Lanier said.

“Depending on the temperature, they may explode immediately,” he said.

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. . . about the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys. B7