Teens questioned about blast incidents

PONDERAY — Criminal charges are being considered against three teenagers who detonated two homemade explosive devices on Wednesday night.

There were no injuries or property damage, said Ponderay Police Chief Mike Hutter.

One of the devices was detonated shortly before 6:30 p.m. on the crushed stone ballast bed between the two sets of railroad tracks near Black Rock, Hutter said. The other device was detonated south of the at-grade railroad crossing on Schweitzer Mountain Road.

It did not take long for Ponderay and Sandpoint police to track down the suspects. Hutter said one of the suspects tried to destroy what appeared to be old homework in the first blast.

“On a whole bunch of pages was one of the suspect’s names,” he said.

A witness to the Black Rock incident was able to give a description of the suspects and the vehicle they left the scene in, Hutter said. The vehicle was later spotted at Taco Bell and its occupants were confronted.

Hutter said a boy and a girl, both 17, and a 19-year-old man, sheepishly admitted setting off the devices for kicks. One device appeared to have been fashioned from duct table and part of a water bottle, while the other involved a tennis ball.

The teens’ names were not disclosed. Hutter said prosecutors are reviewing the case for possible misdemeanor charges.

“We want to make sure they have some accountability so somebody else doesn’t get the bright idea of doing something like this,” he said.