Oakland

Oakland Man Charged in East Palo Alto Mail Bomb: Feds

An Oakland man has been arrested and charged by federal authorities with mailing an explosive device to an East Palo Alto home in October, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco.

Ross Gordon Laverty, 56, mailed at least one improvised explosive device to an East Palo Alto address on Oct. 11, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday.

Federal authorities said the addressee became suspicious immediately and initially decided not to open the package. But eight days later, the victim carried the package outside of his home and opened it in his backyard, causing it to detonate and injure him.

Investigators swarmed Laverty's Oakland home Wednesday night and took him into custody, authorities said. He has been charged with one count of mailing an explosive device with the intent to injure or kill.

Laverty was arraigned Thursday morning. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A similar package bomb incident occurred at an Alameda home in late November. A woman at the residence opened a package delivered by the post office, and it exploded, injuring her. It was not clear if Laverty was connected to that mailing.

Laverty has a criminal history. In April 2015, after an early morning high-speed chase across two East Bay counties, he was arrested on multiple felonies, including evading police, felon in possession of a firearm and drug possession.

Contact Us