A suspect was convicted, but committed suicide in open court in 2001.
Frederick, Md (KM) The bomb making materials detonated over the weekend by the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office are connected to an individual convicted in an assault case almost 20-years ago. .
In a news release from both the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Howard County Police, a container with bomb-making materials was found Sunday afternoon by a passerby in a wooded area off of Meadow Road in the Linganore area near Frederick. Also found was a loaded handgun and some documents connected to Alan Chmurny whose deceased. .
The Bomb Squad, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office and the United Fire Company were called to the scene. A controlled detonation of the materials was conducted. No one was hurt, officials say.
Chmurny was charged with assault in 2000 in Howard County after pouring mercury into the vents of a co-worker’s car as part of a long term stalking case. Upon his conviction in 2001, Chmurny ingested cyanide in open court, and died later at a nearby hospital..
The victim in the stalking case was not harmed.
“We are glad that these dangerous materials were discovered and could be destroyed safely,” said State Fire Marshal Brian Geraci, in the statement.. “It was quite a surprise to learn they were connected to an old criminal stalking case in which a woman could have been seriously harmed.”
By Kevin McManus