Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Linn County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a local man on June 6 after he allegedly claimed to have explosives in a pack and vest and threatened to kill himself and deputies with them.
Deputies arrested Erik Kurt Lafond, 23, a resident of the Crawfordsville area and charged him with possession of a destructive device and manufacture of a destructive device. Both are class C felonies. Further charges are possible. The case remains under investigation.
Deputies had received information that Lafond had made statements that he had explosives and intended to detonate them, Sheriff Tim Mueller said.
During the day, School District 55 evacuated and closed Crawfordsville School as a precaution and bused the students to Sankey Park. Some of them were treated to a movie at the Rio Theater.
Lafond did not threaten specific targets, and reports did not indicate any specific targets, Mueller said, but “I thought it was a very prudent move what Sweet Home School District did, by the way,” especially given activity around the state and nation.
North Eugene High School was closed June 6 after students began circulating a rumor of a planned shooting and Sprague High School in Salem was under extra security precautions after notes were found on campus implying a threat to the school June 6. The date 6/6/06 was associated by some with the number 666, which in the Bible is associated with the Beast, a creature linked to the devil.
Deputies searched Craw-fordsville School as a precaution.
The investigation led deputies to attempt to contact Lafond at his residence, 24717 West Brush Creek Road, near Crawfordsville, Mueller said.
Deputies staged at McKercher Park and closed off West Brush Creek Road. The Linn-Benton Regional SWAT unit was called out to contain the residence. The Oregon State Police Bomb Squad also responded.
Sweet Home paramedics and an emergency helicopter from Corvallis went on standby in the area.
At approximately 6 p.m., deputies closed Brush Creek Road in both directions, approximately one-quarter mile from the West Brush Creek turnoff. Brush Creek Road was closed for 10 to 15 minutes before deputies reopened it.
“We might as well be safe rather than sorry,” Mueller said.
Third-hand information seemed to indicate the threat had something to do with the date.
“We don’t have that confirmed but it could very well be,” Mueller said. Deputies closed the road as a precaution in case 6 p.m. on that date had any significance to Lafond.
Lafond did not threaten specific targets, Mueller said
While attempting to contain the residence, SWAT members encountered Lafond on a logging road and detained him there, Mueller said. The SWAT unit and Lafond kind of surprised each other, he said.
“A farmer had been leading the team up a nearby logging road and pulled over to talk to this guy. It was the suspect.”
SWAT members and Lafond were “in very close proximity,” Mueller said. “This guy was too close. I can’t brag on these guys enough, about their strength and courage.”
Lafond had four sticks of dynamite, Mueller said.
At the time of the road closure, deputies had Lafond contained, Mueller said. “This guy wasn’t going anywhere. He was compliant, (putting up) a passive resistance. He was ordered to put the backpack down, which he did.”
Negotiators went to work with him, and after about two hours, deputies took him into custody, Mueller said.
The Bomb Squad sent a radio-controlled robot in to investigate the pack and the vest, Mueller said. The Bomb Squad reported that dynamite was discovered in both the pack and vest.
“It was made safe and removed from the area,” Mueller said.
District 55 Schools Superintendent Larry Horton said he was told of the bomb threat in the Crawfordsville area about 10 a.m. Tuesday by Sgt. Kevin Greene of the Sheriff’s Department.
“I spoke with (Principal) Elena Barton at Crawfordsville Elementary School and asked her if she could have students and staff ready in 30 minutes, to have buses to the facility and move them to Sankey Park where they could actually conduct activities and school.”
Horton went on the speaker at the school and said nothing had been directed at the school but that some facility might be a target, Horton said. “Therefore we were not taking any chances. The staff responded admirably.”
Horton said the district attempted to contact every parent, although officials were unable to reach some parents; and a half-hour after receiving the information, the school had been evacuated to Sankey Park.
“I compliment the transportation department for getting drivers and buses out there in 30 minutes,” Horton said. “I compliment the kitchen staff” for getting sack lunches ready for the children. Business Manager Kevin Strong purchased lunch for the staff.
About half of the students had been picked up before the end of the school day, Horton said. In the meantime, students had plenty of physical activities, and board member Diane Gerson brought board games to the park and played with the children.
Students also were treated to a special screening of “Garfield: The Movie” at the Rio Theater by owners Susan and Mike Kinney.
“That was a very nice gesture,” Horton said.
Sweet Home Police Chief Bob Burford said his department was kept apprised of developments during the day and took some steps to ensure security in the city.
“We were advised of the intelligence the Sheriff’s Office had obtained and were kept updated throughout the day,” Burford said. “When the decision was made to bring the students from Crawfordsville into Sweet Home, it was not clear to us at that time whether there had been a specific threat to the school or school children.
“Based on that, we made a decision to assign a detective to the students and act as an added layer of security while they were in town.
“Prior to the suspect being located, we did have officers make added security patrols around potential targets, focusing on schools and government buildings.”
Linn County Sheriff’s Office caught wind of Lafond’s activities as much as a month ago, Mueller said. “We had indications something was cooking down there. We talked to several people, people pointing fingers at one another. We conferred with the FBI, who at that point, didn’t think there was any credibility to it.”
On June 5, Linn County Sheriff’s Office received a report from an individual, and “this thing reared its ugly head again,” Mueller said. Investigators went to work and narrowed suspects down to Lafond.
Lafond was held initially on a no-bail warrant for failure to comply on compensatory service on original charges of fourth-degree assault, felony, and strangulation in an incident in May 2004.
Lafond has been booked into the county jail two other times, for second-degree criminal mischief in 2002 and for misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and harassment in February.
In January 2002, Lafond, then a Scio resident, was the lone survivor of five Lebanon-area teens who were struck by a drunken driver along Highway 101 along Cape Foulweather north of Newport.
Lafond remained lodged Monday at Linn County Jail on $20,000 bail.