Grand Island stalker detonates explosives at ex-girlfriend's home, faces nine charges
A 45-year-old Grand Island man made his first court appearance Tuesday after allegedly setting off explosives near his ex-girlfriend's home and inside a friend's vehicle.
Grand Island man arraigned after bombing campaign against ex-girlfriend
A 45-year-old Grand Island man appeared in court Tuesday on nine charges — six of them felonies — after police say he detonated explosives outside his ex-girlfriend's home and inside a friend's vehicle, capping what investigators describe as years of stalking, ksnblocal4.com reports.
John Boersen Jr. was arraigned on two counts of terroristic threats, two counts of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, and two counts of using explosives to damage or destroy property, alongside three misdemeanor charges.
According to Grand Island Police Division Chief Dean Elliott and Hall County Court records, Boersen had been appearing at his ex-girlfriend's workplace and leaving threatening handwritten notes at her residence. The woman told police she received five notes over the previous three to four weeks, on top of earlier incidents stretching back years. Court records state she recognised the handwriting as Boersen's and that a similar pattern of behaviour had occurred approximately seven years earlier. The pair ended their relationship roughly a decade ago, according to the charging affidavit.
Just after 3 a.m. on Sunday, an explosion tore through the woman's yard, shattering her bedroom window while she slept inside and damaging the home's siding and lawn.
Officers responded, investigated the scene, and left the area to search for Boersen. Police say that is when he returned.
Later that day, a friend was at the home installing security cameras when Boersen allegedly came back and planted a second explosive device inside the friend's pickup truck. The blast shattered the windshield and caused extensive interior damage, with the affidavit estimating repair costs at around $10,000.
Witnesses who heard the second explosion reported seeing Boersen nearby. Chief Elliott said Flock licence-plate cameras also helped investigators locate the suspect. He was arrested later that Sunday at a Grand Island residence.
Elliott said the case illustrates how rapidly stalking situations can deteriorate, and urged anyone experiencing similar behaviour to contact police without delay.
"The biggest takeaway, I think, is that victims, number one, they need to do what they feel is appropriate to protect themselves. But number two, they need to report these incidents," Elliott said. "Although one specific incident may not lead to an arrest, it gets to that stalking portion of it. Domestic violence situations, if they continue, progressively get worse."
A judge set bond at 10 percent of $350,000. As a condition of release, Boersen was ordered to have no contact with any of the victims in the case. His next court date is scheduled for 6 October at 10 a.m.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)