Posted on 07/15/2004 9:10:36 AM PDT by marshmallow
Andrew Greff drove to a Bismarck hospital with one arm Saturday morning after he blew apart his other arm with a pipe bomb.
"I lit a pipe bomb, and it went off in my hand," the 21-year-old Bismarck man told St. Alexius Medical Center staff at about 6:30 a.m. when he ran through the emergency room doors. He said the accident happened at Kimball Bottoms, about 10 miles south of Bismarck.
The explosion blew apart Greff's left arm between his hand and mid bicep, Bismarck Police Lt. Dan Donlin said. The Tribune was unable to contact Greff for comment, and the hospital was unable to release his condition Monday afternoon.
Earlier this month, Greff and a friend, Doug Feist, 27, were accused of keeping poisonous snakes in Greff's 306 N. 13th St. apartment. They both face felony reckless endangerment charges for putting neighbors in danger. Greff was out of jail on a $500 bond.
Hospital staff called Bismarck police shortly after Greff pulled up next to the ambulance entrance. The bomb squad roped off an area around Greff's car while they searched inside it for explosives. The car was towed when only a few large fireworks were found inside.
Greff didn't answer many of the officers' questions. He was heavily sedated due to the "extreme pain," Donlin said.
Later that day, investigators went to Greff's apartment with a search warrant. No one answered their knocks, but they found a 20-year-old man hiding in the closet when they went inside. The man was not arrested, and police would not release his name.
Further investigation revealed that Feist, of Bismarck, helped make the pipe bombs and that he and Greff were attaching them to propane tanks, Donlin said. Feist was arrested after a witness said Feist helped construct the bomb, Donlin said.
Feist's car was searched next. Some evidence was found in the house and the car, but authorities were unable to elaborate because the investigation is ongoing.
"I haven't done anything wrong," Feist said Monday in an interview from the Burleigh County jail. "I never helped build the pipe bombs."
Feist said he wasn't with Greff Saturday morning, and that his friend acted on his own. Feist said he didn't hear about Greff's accident until after he was arrested and "it caught me as much off guard as everyone else."
"I feel really, really bad for him, but I just keep thinking 'Why would he do something like this?' I don't understand it," Feist said. "It just doesn't make any sense."
The Burleigh County Sheriff's Department also is investigating the accident because Greff said it occurred in the county. Sheriff's Maj. Nick Sevart said they were unable to find where the explosion occurred, but deputies are continuing to search just in case Greff left something dangerous behind.
"If there's a danger to the public, we want to take care of that," Sevart said.
Greff and Feist were charged Monday with felony possession of a bomb, Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Leann Bertsch said. Greff will appear in court for his first appearance -- where he's told of the charge against him and bond is set -- when he's released from the hospital. Feist had his first appearance Monday and is being held in the Burleigh County jail on a $5,000 cash bond.
DOH!
One of the guys I work with has a different name for those little propane camping bottles. He calls them "targets". You need to put flare behind them when shooting. Bullets won't ignite them and the gas "puff" out of the ruptured tank will extinguish a candle.
He has video of the learning curve
I would like to see that!!!
Eak, aren't you required to show us what you may, or may not, be shooting at said target?
Right. Their intent is to harm people. I was referring to guys blowing up/shooting at things with no such intent.
Now, I wouldn't want to live next door to an avid experimenter. When blowing things up,
it is essential to keep hurtling objects/fragments of off others property.
It's just a bit of fun. Don't you remember the SCTV skit with those two guys?
"That one blowed up real good."
"I was cleaning my pipe bomb and it just . . . went off!"
"One, two, .... five!!"
Ya know, the Deer Camp Code and all.
Ouchie ping
That's gonna leave a mark.
Unnerstood.
"If the women don't find you handsome, at least they'll find you handy."...Red Green.
Hey buddy, do you need a hand?
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