The bomb squad will be back out in Escondido first thing Saturday morning. What they found on Friday was troubling. At least six containers with home made explosives were found at the house that injured an unsuspecting gardener Thursday afternoon.
It happened at a home on the 1900 block of Via Scott in an unincorporated area of Escondido, and the feeling among investigators is that there very well could be more. On Friday, the sound of six explosions could be heard followed by a plume of white smoke. The explosions were set off by the Sheriff’s bomb squad, detonating containers holding what are being described as ‘home made explosives.’
“These explosives are highly sensitive, very powerful. So powerful, and so sensitive that simply by scuffing your foot on these can detonate”, said Jan Caldwell with the San Diego County Sheriff's Dept.
The bomb squad slowly and methodically searched for those devices outside of the home throughout the day. Right now, the rest of the story is a mystery. Investigators will not say what kind of materials made up the home made explosives or what they could have possibly been used for.
54-year old George Jakubec is in Vista County Jail held on charges related to possession of illegal explosives. Neighbors say he kept to himself, but they often saw strangers around the home he rented.
Bomb Squad investigators hope to finish their exterior search in the morning, then they’ll go inside the home, where they’ve already made a quick search.
“They’ve seen enough that they know they have to in tomorrow and be careful," said Caldwell.
Since this home is located right next to Interstate 15, the number 4 lane, the slow lane, of the southbound 15 between Center City Parkway and El Norte Parkway will stay closed until this operation is finished.
