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I guess my question is: Why didn't he drive to the nearest police station? and Was there a timer? or was it remotely detonated? or did he detonate it himself?. He had to get back to wherever and whomever to have it taken off. He wasn't with the cops very long.

so Damn...I just have a lot of questions but it sounds more and more like a "stupid criminal" thing and we're going to find out that this dude has a mile long rap sheet

I don't blame the victim but as I told someone in an email exchange, if he had gone straight to the police he would have stood a better chance at getting the bomb removed.

The bomber had a patsy/dupe but he also had a witness. The pizza guy posed a threat. It was also dangerous for the bomber to disarm the bomb even if he knew how to remove it (it was a live explosive). Add to that any possible struggle from the pizza guy as it is being removed (by the bomber).

Safest move for the bomber would be to have the mark drop the cash in a safe place. Then have the pizza guy drive off to be apprehended by police or die in the wilderness (the mark would think that he was going to a location to have the collar removed).

Pre 9-11 we were told to comply with hijackers/carjackers/robbers. After 9/11 we learned that was not always in our or society's best interest.

The more people learn not to deal with terrorists, the less likely terrorists will be able to take advantage of us ("Do this and everything will be okay, we'll let you go").

A journalist was decapitated after he was forced to read a statement on camera.

"I guess my question is: Why didn't he drive to the nearest police station?"

Fear for his life is a distinct possibility.

"and Was there a timer? or was it remotely detonated?"

According to police records, he stated it was a timer.

"or did he detonate it himself?."

That's one still awaiting an answer.

"He had to get back to wherever and whomever to have it taken off. He wasn't with the cops very long. "

He either had a set amount of time to deliver the cash to the mysterious third party in the hopes the timer would be shut off somehow, or he did set it off himself.

There are a LOT of unanswered questions. Like the delivery to an unknown location on a gravel road and the death of his coworker. This is one BIZARRE case.

The only thing near Erie is...Erie. Erie is, however, not rural, small, or backward. Its very prosperity has led to traffic gridlock on most of the five mile stretch of Peach Street between downtown and the bank location. The bomb squad can't make it to the scene and the perp can't make it from the bank to the city PD within 20 min.

We have to also assume that nobody involved had ever dreamt of any scenario like this. Only in retrospect (how convenient) can we imagine calling for the hospital helicopter to airlift a ticking bomb to a welder or to the bomb squad. There would have to be conversation and consulation to decide what to do.

I think the police were wise to believe there was a live explosive, turn the matter over to the admittedly distant bomb squad, and protect whatever life they could. It's good the FBI was immediately involved.

Since there's a first time for everything, I imagine law enforcement all over the country will start thinking about what they'd do in a situation like this, but I'd be surprised if there's a chapter in any manual called "What to do if perpetrator says he's innocent and please get the collar bomb off me, now, without timely access to the bomb squad."