FBI Offers Reward of Up to $10,000 in Coos Bay IED Investigation

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people responsible for two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) left at a Coos Bay Park and at the Prayer Chapel in Coos Bay, Oregon. The FBI, the Coos Bay Police Department (CBPD), and Oregon State Police (OSP) are working jointly to determine who created and placed the IEDs at these locations. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are also providing assistance.

Late in the evening of August 22, 2013, an IED detonated at the base of the Mingus Park Vietnam War Memorial. On September 3, 2013, someone placed another IED inside the Prayer Chapel at Second Street and Commercial Avenue in Coos Bay. The Coos Bay Fire Department and OSP Hazardous Device Technicians were able to disrupt that explosive before it detonated. At this time, it is not known if the same person or group is responsible for both IEDs.

The investigation into both incidents is continuing to be addressed by federal, state, and local personnel. At the time of arrest, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and the District Attorney’s Office for Coos County will work together to determine which court system is the most appropriate forum for prosecution based on the facts of the case, the motive involved, and other factors.

The FBI’s participation in this case stems from the Church Arson Prevention Act (CAPA), which makes it a violation of federal law to intentionally deface, damage, or destroy any religious real property because of the religious character of that property (or to attempt to do so). The maximum penalty for violation of the CAPA is 20 years in prison.

The Coos Bay Police Department has released a sketch of a person believed to have been in the vicinity of the Prayer Chapel shortly before the IED was found there. Witnesses described that person as a white man, approximately 55 years old, 5’6”-5’7” tall, and about 150 pounds with a shaved head. That sketch is below.

- Related FBI wanted poster

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI or the Coos Bay Police Department:

Call:

• Coos Bay Police Department—(541) 269-8911

• FBI (Eugene Office)—(541) 343-5222 (during normal business hours)

• FBI (Portland Office)—(503) 224-4181 (24 hours a day)

E-mail: Portland@ic.fbi.gov