Criminal probe started in Texas fertilizer plant blast - CNN Texas authorities are launching a criminal investigation into last month's deadly fertilizer distribution facility explosion in West, Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Friday. The announcement was made on the same day authorities arrested Bryce Reed, a West emergency volunteer who was a first-responder to the disaster. Authorities have not tied the arrest to the deadly blast. McLennan County sheriff's records clerk Betty Duncan told CNN that Reed was arrested for possession of a destructive device, booked early Friday, and is in the custody of U.S. Marshals. Continued at www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/justice/texas-explosion-probe/index.html Updates: www.bing.com/news/search?q=%22Bryce+Reed%22&p1=[NewsVertical+SortByDate%3d%221%22] www.facebook.com/bryceashleyreed
Texas blast paramedic arrested for 'having a bomb' just hours before police launch criminal investigation into the blast that killed 14 Authorities say he owned a pipe bomb. Police were tipped off about Reed owning explosives by an associate of his. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2322647/Bryce-Reed-Paramedic-arrested-having-explosive-device-Texas-town-devastated-fertilizer-plant-blast-killed-14.html
Destructive-device arrest made in West, Texas A former emergency volunteer in West is in federal custody Friday morning on a charge of possessing a destructive device. Authorities would not say if it was related to the April 17 explosion.
Idle speculations, but what device could have created the massive explosion in this case? Or, if it was not solely the device itself, what materials in the plant could have led to such a large explosion?
TWG, you are the best fucking news feed EVAH! Thank you for your diligence and for knowing what matters. If this guy turns out to be responsible for this carnage, well, ... I am gobsmacked. The depravity of the people in this world is becoming so troubling to me as I get older. I just cannot comprehend.
West, Texas E.M.T. Faces Charge of Having Bomb Parts - New York Times Excerpt: Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said he had directed the Texas Rangers to work with the McLennan County sheriff’s office to conduct the criminal inquiry, which comes more than three weeks after the explosion at the West Fertilizer Company plant outside West, Tex., about 20 miles north of Waco. “This disaster has severely impacted the community of West, and we want to ensure that no stone goes unturned and that all the facts related to this incident are uncovered,” Mr. McCraw said in a statement on Friday. Earlier Friday, Bryce Reed, 31, an emergency medical technician who has said he helped evacuate people after the April 17 blast, was taken into federal custody, according to the United States attorney’s office. Mr. Reed appeared briefly in federal court in Waco on Friday but did not enter a plea, the authorities said. An affadavit sworn out by Douglas J. Kunze, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the authorities had found the parts of a pipe bomb, including potassium nitrate powder, which is used in fertilizers and gunpowder. Though Mr. Reed was not in possession of the materials, he admitted to having possessed them, according to the affadavit. Investigators have said the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate, which was being stored at the fertilizer plant, but have not said whether a fire that preceded the blast had ignited the chemical. Ammonium nitrate, which is commonly used as a fertilizer, is difficult to ignite if handled carefully and properly stored, but it has also been used in a number of terrorist attacks, including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. More at www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/us/west-tex-emt-faces-charges-of-having-bomb-parts.html
Pipe bomb charges against West paramedic spur new investigation - The Dallas Morning News Excerpt: Bryce Reed, 31, previously told The Dallas Morning News that he assumed radio command of the April 17 incident after the explosion killed his superiors and colleagues. He is now accused of giving a pipe bomb to an unnamed person in nearby Abbott on April 26, the day after he played a prominent role in the memorial service for 12 emergency responders killed in the blast. As the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives held Reed on the federal charge of possessing a destructive device Friday evening, agents spent hours at the Waco home of his in-laws. Meanwhile, West officials for the first time told the state agency that licenses paramedics that Reed was let go two days after the explosion. A reason wasn’t given. More at www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130510-pipe-bomb-charges-against-west-paramedic-spur-new-investigation.ece?ssimg=984596
Paramedic Vocal After Texas Blast Facing Charges The Associated Press Excerpt: Reed was among the most vocal residents after the fatal explosion, freely talking to reporters. However, Reed was no longer part of West EMS as of April 19, according to an email sent by a regional EMS organization, the Heart of Texas Regional Advisory Council, to the state health officials. In an interview on April 21 outside the Czech Inn, where Reed had spoken the previous day to displaced families, Reed talked about facing his own mortality. He said he'd lost 60 pounds in five months, yet doctors couldn't pinpoint the source of his ailing stomach despite performing 26 biopsies. He also described one of the West firefighters who died in the blast, Cyrus Reed, as his brother though the men weren't related. He said Cyrus Reed worked at Hunting Titan, which manufactured explosives in nearby Milford for oil and gas companies, and would have known the dangers of the ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia inside the plant. "I will avenge this. This will get right. I don't care what it takes," Reed said when talking about what might have caused the blast. "There's one thing about Texas, that Texans understand: People talk about law and order. Well, welcome to Texas. We believe in justice. I'm going to get my justice. Period." Two-page article: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/media-savvy-paramedic-facing-explosives-charges-19154769 Again, here's his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/bryceashleyreed
West paramedic's past scrutinized; resume claims disputed; role with charity questioned - Dallas Morning News By all appearances, Bryce Reed was a grieving man who loved to serve his small community of West. He was a volunteer paramedic dealing with the death of his friend and destruction of much of his town. But he may not been what he appeared to be. He was arrested by federal authorities Friday, accused of giving an “assortment of bomb-making components” to an unnamed person in the Central Texas town of Abbott. He has also made unverifiable claims about his education and career on his online resúmé on LinkedIn. It is unknown when it was last updated, but the bachelor’s and master’s degrees he claims he earned have been disputed by records and authoritative sources. He also claims to have held management positions with three entities that are now defunct. The only thing that seemed constant in his life was his career as a paramedic. As late as last week, Reed admitted feeling emotionally unstable. “I’m messed up, and I will be for a long time,” Reed told The Dallas Morning News in an interview May 2. “I’m learning I have issues that I haven’t dealt with in the past and that are coming back.” He said during that interview for a previously published article in The News that the blast was a “career ender” because of the emotional toll it has had on his life. After being at the scene the night of the blast, he said, he did not want to be a paramedic anymore. He was most recently employed as a paramedic for Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. He started work there on Jan. 7, a hospital spokeswoman said, and went on leave April 3. She said he remains an employee. She would not say why he went on leave or otherwise elaborate. Records also show that two days after the explosion, Reed was “let go” at West’s volunteer EMS department, according to records and interviews. <snip> Despite Reed’s departure, he was continuing to involve himself in the disaster’s aftermath. On April 20, for instance, he gave an update about small fires at the explosion site to displaced West residents at a local hotel. He told them the fires were caused by tanks onsite that were damaged and leaking gas. West Police Chief James Lawhorn also declined to comment about the situation. He did say that his department didn’t receive any complaints about Reed posing as a city spokesman and did not handle Reed’s arrest. As Reed is still in the custody of federal authorities and being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, his neighbors and acquaintances are shocked to hear about his arrest. An EMS student, Amanda Atkins, said Reed was an instructor for an EMS class in West. “I would trust him with my life,” said Atkins, who said she has known him since November. “I don’t see him being that type of person at all. He is the most caring, giving guy. I mean, wow. He’s totally not that type of person.” But it’s not exactly known what is believable about Reed. Reed wrote on his resúmé that he holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Albany-based Excelsior College. A spokesman for the school, William Stewart, said Reed applied to enter the associate degree program but never enrolled. Stewart also noted that Excelsior’s BSN program is open only to applicants who already are registered nurses. Reed is not listed as an RN in Texas, New York or other states, online records show. Reed also claimed to have held management positions with at least three entities that appear to be defunct or have dead websites. One of those is the Silentium Group, for which he identifies himself as the president and CEO from 2008 to 2010. More at www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130510-west-paramedic-s-past-scrutinized-resume-claims-disputed-role-with-charity-questioned.ece
Super weird story. Don't know what to say. But I notice the arrested guy's wife Brittany is smokin' hot.
Bryce gave the eulogy at Cyrus' funeral, saying they were like brothers. Cyrus' sister got upset and said that she didn't think they knew each other very well. But it seems they actually did.
Call me crazy but I don't think this guy did the deed. He grew up in that part of Texas. He has a zillion friends. His wife and daughter are maximally cute. Maybe he padded his resume (haven't read the LinkedIn page), but he did pass the EMT course so he is a legit EMT. So why does he have materials for making pipe bombs? That I don't know. But it is Texas we're talking about here.
Grand jury indicts West paramedic on firearms charge | WFAA www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Grand-jury-indicts-West-paramedic-on--207481861.html Texas plant explosion investigation results to be released Thursday - Reuters www.vagazette.com/sns-rt-us-usa-explosion-texasbre94d19d-20130514,0,1836130.story
Update from West, TX fertilizer plant explosion press conference Excerpts: At this time the state fire marshals say the cause of the explosion is "undetermined." This decision is made when an "acceptable level of certainty, either because of insufficient information or if other causes can not be eliminated.' The ammonium nitrate that exploded was equivalent to between 15,000 and 20,000 tons of TNT. www.ketknbc.com/news/update-from-west-tx-fertilizer-plant-explosion-pre
From hero to pipe bomb suspect CNN's Gary Tuchman reports from West, Texas, on the arrest of Bryce Reed, a first responder during the plant explosion.
Former West EMT Reed will undergo mental health evaluation - Waco Tribune A judge Tuesday ordered the former West paramedic indicted on charges he possessed bomb-making components to undergo a mental health evaluation at a federal prison medical facility. Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, will remain in the McLennan County Jail until the federal Bureau of Prisons makes arrangements for him to be transferred to a facility, probably one in Springfield, Mo., for psychiatric review, a source with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday. Continued at www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/former-west-emt-reed-will-undergo-mental-health-evaluation/article_601d2f51-41e1-5b5f-a5a4-9a9c3f05c450.html
Safety board raps 'patchwork' regulations in Texas blast | Reuters The independent U.S. agency that investigates major chemical accidents said on Thursday that inadequate regulatory standards contributed to the massive fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14 people and leveled parts of the town of West, Texas. Appearing before the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairman of the Chemical Safety Board, said the safekeeping of ammonium nitrate fertilizer falls under regulations that add up to "a patchwork that has many large holes." The CSB issued 18 preliminary findings gleaned from its inquiry into the massive West explosion. It found that the explosion resulted from an intense fire in a wooden warehouse building that led to the detonation of some 30 tons of ammonium nitrate (AN) stored inside, in wooden bins. "Combustible wooden buildings and storage bins are permitted for storing ammonium nitrate across the United States - exposing AN to the threat of fire," Moure-Eraso said. Continued at www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/27/us-usa-explosion-hearing-idUSBRE95Q1FI20130627
Family of arrested West man says feds should clear him of ties to plant explosion | The Dallas Morning News July 21, 2013 Bryce Reed’s freedom and future bob atop an ocean of suspicion so vast and vague that he could end up labeled anything from a grieving man beset by bad timing to an American terrorist. Before the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Reed was a volunteer paramedic for the town. Now, the 31-year-old is being held by federal authorities and is accused of giving an unwitting friend a box that held materials for a pipe bomb roughly the size of a permanent marker. The agencies investigating the April 17 blast — and the box of explosives found weeks later — offer nothing to suggest the two incidents are related. Some investigators say they don’t have anything tying Reed to the blast; others won’t discuss their investigations. None, though, will explicitly clear Reed of suspicion in the blast. His family and lawyer deny Reed had any involvement in the explosion. They say perhaps his arrest was retaliation for Reed being outspoken about the blast and its aftereffects. “If they have something linking him to the explosion, they should do it, they should come out with what they have,” said Jonathan Sibley, Reed’s attorney. “It’s misleading.” Intense media coverage of both events compounded the situation. “You show the blast and you show my son’s picture and visibly, they are affiliated and people make a correlation,” said Reed’s mother, Therese Nelson, who spoke publicly for the first time in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. The investigation into what caused the fire that preceded the blast is still open. A conclusive cause may never be known. Possibilities include arson, an electrical short or an overheated golf cart. A state fire marshal’s spokeswoman declined to comment. Officials with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the agency that arrested Reed on the pipe bomb charge, didn’t return phone calls. The Texas Rangers, the criminal investigative arm of the Department of Public Safety, opened a joint investigation with the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office the day after Reed’s arrest. A DPS spokesman said Friday that the investigation is complete, but declined to discuss its scope or findings. The agency handed its findings over to the McLennan County district attorney’s office, which did not return a phone call seeking information late Friday. McLennan County Chief Deputy Matt Cawthon said “there’s an ocean” between someone playing with a pipe bomb in rural Texas and being responsible for the plant explosion. He said the joint criminal investigation has found only that Reed had the box of explosives. He does not expect any other findings. But Cawthon also said that doesn’t mean Reed didn’t have anything to do with the blast. “I’m saying the investigation to date has not proven that,” he said. <snip> More than two months after his arrest, Reed remains in jail on no bail. That’s partially because the media frenzy and the possible portrayal of Reed as a terrorist made his family fear for his safety. He waved his initial detention hearing so he wouldn’t have to appear in court in person, his family said. His next court date is set for next month. In recent weeks, Reed has undergone psychological evaluations, his family said. Sibley, his lawyer, declined to discuss whether an evaluation was done. Experts said such an evaluation could delay federal authorities from talking to Reed. That, in turn, could delay authorities from definitively clearing the man from starting the fire even if they believe he had an unrelated pipe bomb. “They want to make sure whatever they say, they’re right about it,” said Mike Uhl, former deputy criminal chief at the U.S. Attorney’s Northern District office. Experts said it could take years to flesh out an arson investigation. Roper, the former U.S. attorney, said investigators have no legal obligation to clear Reed of involvement in the explosion. Uhl, on the other hand, expects authorities will say either way at some point. “There’s a strong interest in the community to know,” Uhl said. More at www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130721-family-of-arrested-west-man-says-feds-should-clear-him-of-ties-to-plant-explosion.ece
Well looks like the idiots are out again in reporting or in government "investigations" not sure which. Let me be clear. When fertilizer is on fire... the WORST thing you can do is put water on it!!!!! <-five When you put water on a fertilizer fire it goes BOOM! This is not the first time that this has happened, I'm sure it won't be the last as long as there are people stupid enough to put water on a fertilizer fire. Any fireman who knows anything about anything knows that you just spread the crap out and let it burn itself out... because water makes it go BOOM! The EMT is not guilty of the explosion, he is guilty of building a pipe bomb... the idiot volunteer fire fighters who put water on that fire killed themselves. End of story.
I have no idea what happened here. But I feel afraid that an innocent man is going to lose his family and his chance to live a normal life. Better to let 10 guilty go free than to wrongly incarcerate 1 innocent person.
Texas first responder pleads guilty on pipe bomb charge | CNN A paramedic who responded to a horrific, deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas -- and who later spoke at a memorial for its victims -- pleaded guilty Thursday after accusations he possessed materials to make a pipe bomb. Bryce Reed pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a destructive device and attempted obstruction of justice, according to his lawyer Jonathan Sibley. In August, McLennan County Criminal District Attorney Abel Reyna said he hadn't seen "credible evidence" linking Reed's possession of a prohibited weapon to the April 17 blast at a West Fertilizer Company facility. <snip> In a statement, Reed's lawyers stressed that neither the charge nor the plea agreement "have anything to do with the tragic explosion." www.cnn.com/2013/10/10/justice/texas-bryce-reed-guilty/
OH good... that poor man had nothing to do with the explosion at the plant. He is an idiot, but he is not the idiot that put water on a fertilizer fire, and made it go BOOM!
