Explosive device latest problem at condemned Santa Rosa home

Cleanup at a condemned Santa Rosa home in the Santa Rosa Junior College neighborhood took a twist Monday morning when a worker found an explosive drug-making device in the garbage-filled house, forcing street closures and a bomb squad response.

The item, which resembled a pipe bomb, was sitting on a pile of garbage in a bedroom of the Richmond Drive home. A worker called police about 10:45 a.m. to report it and the crew got out, said Santa Rosa police Sgt. Summer Black.

Officers agreed the thing looked suspicious and called the Sonoma County Sheriff's bomb squad. Nearby streets were closed briefly to traffic and officers alerted neighbors to stay inside, Black said.

Deputies determined the pipe contraption apparently was connected to a homemade hash oil lab and contained butane, which is highly volatile, Black said.

They safely blew up the item and the issue was over within an hour, Black said.

The explosive device is the latest issue neighbors have had to deal with involving the troubled address. Since the 1980s, neighbors have complained repeatedly about drug dealing, drug use, theft, public defecation, mountains of garbage, noise, smell and numerous other issues there. Santa Rosa police have regularly responded to the home.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.