Man accused of building firebomb in 2001 attack on university's Center for Urban Horticulture
BY MIKE CARTER
The Seattle Times
Updated: 08-2-2011 10:33 am
July 28--TACOMA -- The man accused of building the firebomb used by Earth Liberation Front radicals to torch the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture in 2001 pleaded not guilty Wednesday to several federal charges.
Justin Solondz, 31, was arrested July 6 in Chicago after his expulsion from China, where he had been serving a prison term for selling drugs.
A former student at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Solondz is charged with conspiracy, arson, making an unregistered destructive device and using a destructive device during a violent crime, a charge that could result in a life sentence.
After the hearing in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Solondz's attorney said his client was glad to be back in the United States.
Solondz was a purported member of a cell of radical environmentalists known as "The Family" who are believed to have participated in a string of arsons and other sabotage that caused $80 million in damage in Washington, Oregon, California and Colorado.
Prosecutors allege that Solondz built a firebomb in a "clean room" behind a home in Olympia, transported it to Seattle and served as the getaway driver the night of the UW arson.
The firebomb was planted in the office of UW professor Toby Bradshaw at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Bradshaw was targeted because the arsonists believed, mistakenly, he was genetically engineering trees.
Damage from the arson was estimated at more than $6 million.
In June, Briana Waters pleaded guilty to charges of arson, conspiracy to use a destructive device, possessing an unregistered destructive device and the use of an explosive device in a crime of violence in connection with the arson. She agreed to testify against Solondz, whose trial is scheduled for Sept. 19.
Waters, 35, is Solondz's former girlfriend.
Two other women, Lacey Phillabaum and Jennifer Kolar, pleaded guilty to the UW arson and were sentenced to three and five years, respectively.
Also charged in the UW arson was William C. Rodgers, who committed suicide in an Arizona jail in December 2005.
Solondz was indicted in Washington state and California in 2006. The FBI issued a $50,000 reward in late 2008 for information leading to his arrest. At the time, the FBI said he might be in Canada, Europe or Asia.
He surfaced in Dali, a Chinese city popular with Western tourists, using a phony Canadian identification and an altered appearance. He was arrested in a drug investigation in March 2009.
Paul Solondz said his son did not flee the United States to avoid prosecution, according to The Associated Press. He said Solondz went to Italy for a wedding in 2005 and traveled from there, visiting Holocaust sites in Europe before going to Russia and China.
He entered China with a valid visa and renewed it twice, his father said.
Information from Seattle Times archives and The Associated Press is included in this report.
Hard drive with students addresses, grades vanishes
Device reportedly contained personal information on more than 1,200 elementary school students
BY LISA GARTNER, EXAMINER STAFF WRITER
The Examiner (Washington, DC)
Updated: 08-2-2011 9:16 am
An external hard drive containing personal information on as many as 1,234 Prince William County elementary school students has disappeared, prompting investigations by the school system and police department.
The hardware housed names and addresses of Glenkirk Elementary students, as well as the names of their classroom teachers. It also stored grades students had received and screening information for student services.
Its very sad, actually, that somebody would steal something like that, said Suzanne Obetz, president of the Gainesville schools parent-teacher organization.
According to school officials, the hard drive was discovered missing on Wednesday. The school system started an investigation and notified the police to determine whether the device was stolen.
A spokesman for the police department declined to comment on Thursday, saying the department was not ready to release information.
Ken Blackstone, spokesman for the school system, said police are treating the hard drive as something that might have been stolen.
Blackstone said the hard drive did not vanish from administrative offices, but could not say if it belonged to a classroom. It was information that an employee had for their job; it wasnt something somebody shouldnt have had, he said.
He was not sure how many of Glenkirks 1,234 students were affected, but said that it could be all of them.
The hard drive did not include students Social Security numbers.
Principal Lisa Gilkerson planned to notify the parents of students through automated phone messages and a letter, to be posted on the schools website. The school also decided to make staff available to field calls from concerned parents on Monday and Tuesday.
Obetz said she wasnt too concerned about the potential security breach. I am under the impression that its being taken care of, and they have a good idea as to where it might be, she said.
The school system made headlines for another technology glitch this spring, when the American Civil Liberties Union put heat on Prince William schools LGBT Internet filter that blocked access to websites discussing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.
School officials tweaked the filter to allow students to access educational websites concerning the topics.
Copper stolen again from CU-Boulder's biotechnology building
Thefts persist despite increased security measures
BY BRITTANY ANAS, CAMERA STAFF WRITER
Daily Camera (Boulder, Colorado)
Updated: 07-27-2011 2:30 pm
Thieves for a third time have stolen copper from the University of Colorado's biotechnology building construction site, even after contractors hired around-the-clock guards and installed security cameras.
Officials are still tallying how much copper wiring was stolen from the construction site, said CU police spokeswoman Molly Bosley. But, she said, at least $2,000 worth of tools were swiped during the burglary incident that authorities are investigating.
The incident at CU is part of a continuing, nationwide problem as the value of scrap copper has risen to an all-time high, prompting a flurry of thefts.
The tools and electrical wire recently stolen from CU were taken from a subcontractor's storage area, according to Megan Rose, spokeswoman for CU's Facilities Management.
Last summer, in two separate instances, copper wiring was stolen from the biotechnology construction site on CU's east campus. The theft amounted to $30,000.
A spokeswoman for JE Dunn, the contractor building the $194 million structure, said last winter that they beefed up security with the overnight guards and security cameras.
But, now, the company is being coy about its security efforts, simply saying they've been increased.
"JE Dunn is cautious about publicizing their security measures as they don't want thieves to know what's in place and what they need to get around," said Rose. "They have increased building security since the incident and will continue working closely with the CU Police Department."
JE Dunn -- not the university -- is responsible for covering the cost of the lost equipment, according to CU officials.
"The construction company is liable for securing the area," said CU-Boulder spokesman Bronson Hilliard. The incident is believed to have happened overnight on July 19 and was reported to police on July 20.
Dale Barrow, co-owner of Boulder-based Western Aluminum Recycling, said the scrap value of copper is ranging from $3.30 to $3.50 a pound -- and at one point this year soared to $4.
To prevent buying stolen metals, Barrow said that the shop took an extra step by installing cameras at the weigh stations and near where people get paid for the metals.
"Law enforcement can access our video equipment," he said.
The shop has other measures in place to deter heavy metal thefts, such as recording the potential seller's license plate number and requiring photo identification. Barrow said they turn that information over to police if they are investigating a suspect involved in metal thefts.
CU's biotechnology building -- which is being funded by a mix of donations, state money and research funds -- is scheduled to be completed in March 2012.
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