Sheriff: 5 juveniles connected to cleaning fluid bombs on doorsteps

PENDLETON, Ind. (WISH) – Detectives say they’ve located five juveniles responsible for setting off two explosives made from cleaning fluid.

Police said someone mixed the fluid with aluminum foil before a kid dropped the bottles on two front porches in Pendleton this week.

One of the victims, Darra Brown, keeps a security camera on her porch. Her video shows a teenager shake up a bottle on her porch early Thursday morning. He drops the bottle and runs away.

It went off about a minute later, while Brown and her kids slept inside.

“This isn’t like toilet-papering a house,” Brown said. “This could potentially damage somebody’s property and hurt somebody really bad.”

She shared the video on Facebook and detectives said a father recognized his son in the video and called police. Madison County Sheriff Scott Mellinger said Friday his team was still questioning suspects’ parents, and they expect the interviews to conclude early next week.

Mellinger said he the kids will likely be charged with criminal mischief and use of an overpressure device.

Seven miles from Brown’s house, that same morning, someone else told police they heard a loud noise.

“It set our glass break detector off,” Eric Rich said.

Rich said the bomb ruined his doormat and knocked over his lawn decorations.

On his front porch, he found aluminum foil, cleaning fluid, a two-liter bottle and dog feces smeared on his door handle.

“I was a kid once,” Rich said. “Did we toilet paper? We did. Did we ding dong ditch? We did. Did I ever put a chemical bomb on someone’s door step? No. I would never do anything like that.”

Rich said he wants an apology from the kids and he wants to know why they did it.

Mellinger said the kids will be released to their parents after questioning.