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Former Marine arrested after explosion in Macomb

Posted November 09, 2007 10:00 pm

Jodi Pospeschil

A former U.S. Marine allegedly tossed an explosive device from his Macomb square apartment early Friday, causing a blast that shook the ground at least three blocks away.

"It really, really rattled the downtown," said Roger Ward, co-owner of The Forum, a tavern on North Lafayette Street. "All I know is that it made about 300 people drop to the ground real quick."

The Forum was closing when the blast occurred at about 1 a.m., and numerous people were walking in the area. However, no injuries or damage were reported.

Police arrested Chad Schafer, 27, and said he admitted causing two other recent explosions.

Schafer, a student at Western Illinois University, is charged with felony counts of possession of explosives and possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless conduct, possession of firearm ammunition without a Firearm Owners Identification Card and disorderly conduct.

Schafer appeared Friday afternoon in McDonough County court. Assistant State's Attorney John Melidis said during the hearing there have been two similar explosions within the last two weeks. One occurred two weeks ago in an alley adjoining Schafer's apartment. The other was reported in the 400 block of West Adams Street. The date could not be confirmed Friday.

Melidis said when police confronted Schafer he confessed responsibility for all three explosions, although he has been charged only with the one that occurred Friday.

Schafer also said once that he bought the explosive devices on the Internet and once that he bought the "ingredients" on the Internet.

Police said Schafer has demolition experience from his time in the Marines. When he was in the Marines could not be confirmed Friday.

Schafer told Judge William Henderson he is a senior at WIU. He also told Henderson he had "done something stupid."

Henderson asked whether Friday's explosion had caussed any injuries.

"No one was hurt, but maybe that was just fortune," Melidis said.

Friday's device exploded in the crosswalk entering the northwest side of the Macomb square. Macomb police were already nearby dealing with a fight call.

A video camera in one of the officer's cars recorded someone light a device and throw it from a nearby second floor apartment at 34 West Side Square. According to police reports, the blast shook the ground at least three blocks away.

Police quickly got a search warrant for Schafer's apartment and found items including small amount of cocaine, about 20 grams of marijuana and .45-caliber ammunition.

Ward said he was standing behind The Forum helping police deal with the fight call when he heard the explosion. At first he thought a car had blown up.

"I ran around the building and I saw this giant plume of smoke," he said.

Ward said there was a fanned-out pattern of white powder on the concrete where the explosion occurred, and several alarms on parked cars in the area were going off.

Macomb police have notified the State Terrorism Intelligence Center about the incident and said it's likely the U.S. Bureau and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms will be contacted as well. Police are still studying what was contained in the explosive device. Schafer is being held in the county jail on $30,000 bond.

His criminal record includes a 2005 misdemeanor conviction for fleeing from Macomb police and damaging headstones in Oakwood Cemetery in the process. He also rammed a metal railing and the fled on foot but was arrested on a warrant several days later.

Reach Journal Star reporter Jodi Pospeschil at (309) 686-3041 or state@pjstar.com.

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