$250K Bail Set in Murrieta Explosive Devices Arrest

Bail was set at $250,000 for a Murrieta man arrested after his live-in girlfriend called 911 to report he allegedly threatened to burn down their house.

Kenneth P. Haley, 31, was taken into custody Oct. 2 following a police search of his Corinth Drive home that revealed an alleged stash of explosive devices.

Murrieta police responded to the home at about 1:20 a.m. Oct. 2 when California Highway Patrol transferred the girlfriend's 911 call, according to Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad.

No one was home when officers arrived, but Conrad said "officers did notice several explosive devices, narcotics and a distinct smell of gasoline. "

A search warrant was obtained at 8:30 a.m. that morning, he said, so that detectives, with the assistance of a Riverside County sheriff's bomb squad, could enter the home.

The lieutenant has since provided Patch with a basic list of items recovered from the home in the 23000 block of Corinth Drive in Murrieta, which included:

—One AR15 assault rifle;

—More than 20 high capacity magazines for rifles and handguns;

—two .50-caliber armor piercing ammunition;

—one 40 mm high explosive dual purpose cartridge;

—one 25mm high explosive incendiary round;

—and one 84 mm anti-tank launching tube.

"(These) can be considered weapons, bomb making components or materials that are illegal to possess. This is simply a basic list of what the detectives recovered. These items are considered explosive or incendiary material," Conrad said.

The recovered items are being held as evidence by the Riverside Sheriff’s bomb squad, according to Conrad.

Haley was initially detained by officers as he drove through the neighborhood while a containment was set up around his home, Conrad said.

Once the search was complete, Haley was booked on suspicion of several felonies. These included attempted arson, possession of destructive devices, receiving stolen property and possession of cocaine.

The Riverside County District Attorney's Office formally charged Haley in the case on Oct. 4, court records indicated.

He remains jailed at Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.