Exec’s Neighbors Return Home

Families streamed back into an Irvine neighborhood Saturday as authorities completed an excavation of biomedical researcher Larry C. Ford’s backyard that unearthed weapons and military explosives and forced more than 200 residents from their homes.

As police continued to investigate the attempted murder of Ford’s business partner, streets in the quiet Woodbridge neighborhood that for three days were lined with police cars and firetrucks came alive with the sound of children on scooters and skateboards. The empty driveways once again filled with BMWs, Volvos and sport utility vehicles.

Residents expressed relief at being back home, especially those who were separated from family members and pets and forced to

radically alter their routine. Still, some expressed alarm about the cache of arms as well as bottles of what the FBI described as “suspicious substances” taken from Ford’s home over the last week.

“I’m concerned about the things they were saying about the chemicals they found and whether they found all of it,” said Mary Lee as she returned to her Foxboro home from the Irvine Hyatt Regency.

Resident Allison Aleshire took her Australian shepherd and bunked with a friend while the rest of her family went to the Hyatt, which does not allow dogs. To keep in regular contact, she purchased her teenage daughter a wireless phone.

“Boy, it feels good,” she said upon arriving back to the neighborhood. “We’re really grateful to be home. You put your life on hold, and it’s great to be back to normal.”

County health officials and police assured residents that the neighborhood was safe and that Ford’s house had been cleared of all potentially hazardous materials and arms.

“If I lived in this neighborhood, I would feel confident about moving my family back into the area,” said Mark Horton, director of public health for the Orange County Health Care Agency.

While the myriad government agencies have returned the prototypical suburban community to its residents, authorities continue trying to unravel the mystery that began with the shooting of James Patrick Riley in the face Feb. 28 and Ford’s suicide three days later. The men were partners in the Irvine company Biofem, which is developing a female contraceptive suppository designed to halt the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

A day after the shooting, authorities charged Los Angeles businessman Dino D’Saachs, a longtime friend of Ford’s, with driving the getaway van in the Riley shooting. The gunman remains at large.

Irvine Police Lt. Sam Allevato said Saturday that while the attention had been on what was hidden in Ford’s house, investigators elsewhere had continued working on the attempted hit.

“We’re getting there,” he said. “We’re still following a lot of different leads.”

Detectives believe that at least three people motivated by financial gain conspired to kill Riley as he arrived for work Feb. 28 at his Irvine Spectrum office, according to court documents. Investigators said that while they are still hunting for a gunman, they have dropped their search for an accomplice. They declined to say whether Ford’s suicide prompted the decision.

Police have warned friends and business associates of Ford that they could be in danger as long as the gunman is at large, Allevato said. He said no one has been told to get a bodyguard or is receiving police protection. Police refused to say how they determined whom to alert or how many people were warned.

Authorities found six canisters buried 6 feet underneath a concrete slab in Ford’s backyard. Inside one, police found two 1 1/4-pound packages of C4 explosives with what appeared to be military identification numbers and blasting caps.

Allevato said the only way Ford could have obtained the explosives was on the black market or by stealing them from a military supply facility.

X-rays indicated that all six canisters contain automatic and semiautomatic rifles and ammunition, he said.

Allevato said the approximately 4-foot-by-4-foot hole was commercially dug, but he didn’t know who did the job. He said Ford’s wife was aware he was burying something in the backyard but didn’t press her husband on the contents.

Ford’s son, Larry C. Ford Jr., said Saturday that the family knew his father had buried weapons in the yard, but they didn’t think much of it and never talked about them.

The canisters will be opened at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Los Alamitos.

The several dozen vials of suspected chemical or biological material will be sent to the FBI crime lab in Virginia, said Jim Donckels, supervising special agent of the FBI’s Santa Ana office. Tests are expected to take two to seven days to determine the contents, he said.

Police said they are not following up reports of Ford’s links to South Africa’s biological weapons programs, and the FBI said Saturday they could not comment on them. Police and FBI officials said they had no confirmation of Ford’s possible links to U.S. intelligence agencies.

Ford’s neighbors, meanwhile, were glad to end their hotel living. They were allowed back in at 4:30 p.m. Saturday after a street sweeper made one last trip around the area.

“It’s not like you’re on vacation,” said Debbie Jeffs. “You feel contained, so it’s a good feeling to come back.”

Mary Lee said the last three days were an ordeal for her and her family. As she hurriedly packed suitcases Wednesday after city officials declared a local emergency in the area, Lee brought only winter clothes for herself and three children. But because the weather warmed up, she had to buy shorts and T-shirts.

“I couldn’t stay with the kids in a hotel room for another day,” she added.

In a nod to modern life, Wasi Quershey said his family was forced to share a single laptop computer instead of each child having his or her own. And instead of a high-speed cable modem, they were forced to connect to the Internet using the Hyatt’s telephone lines.

Ford’s next-door neighbor, Yasuyuki Shimizu, said the find of weapons and explosives came as a shock. “Irvine is one of the safest cities in the country. I heard that many times. I still don’t believe it.”

Ford’s friends also expressed surprise over the find but said it doesn’t change their admiration for him.

“I knew that Larry was eccentric,” said neighbor Bruce Haglund. “I don’t know what was going on but it doesn’t change my respect and gratitude for all the things he’s done for us.”

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* EXECUTIVE DEFENDED

Son says Ford would never have done anything to harm his family or neighbors. A42