After county Marshal Robbie Scattini’s mailbox was destroyed by
a homemade bomb Friday night, a Hollister police officer handed him
a form and told the law enforcement official to self-report the
crime that was a federal felony punishable with prison time.
Hollister – After county Marshal Robbie Scattini’s mailbox was destroyed by a homemade bomb Friday night, a Hollister police officer handed him a form and told the law enforcement official to self-report the crime that was a federal felony punishable with prison time.
Scattini arrived at his Buena Vista Road home Friday night to find magazines and envelopes scattered up to 20 feet from his bombed mailbox, he said. The marshal and former mayor found a carbon-dioxide cartridge in the street near the box, which had been blown out, and he smelled gunpowder on his mail.
After a Hollister Police Department officer responded and Scattini tried to give the officer the cartridge, he was told to keep it, Scattini said. The officer told the former mayor to file the incident report as vandalism, and Scattini said he was courteous.
Scattini believes the cartridge was filled with gunpowder and ignited in his mailbox, destroying it completely.
“To me that was just strange,” Scattini said Tuesday. “The way they handled it – like it was no big deal.”
The police department investigates mailboxes damaged with baseball bats or firecrackers as misdemeanor incidents of vandalism, Hollister Police Capt. Brooks said. Because of budget cuts in 2006, the department requires victims of vandalism to self-report the crime.
But on Tuesday, Brooks said the department will investigate the mailbox explosion under a felony section of the California Penal Code, instead of as a misdemeanor.
“It just sounds like there was a miscommunication,” Brooks said Tuesday. “We have an officer going back out there.”
The section Brooks referred to states that anyone who explodes a device with the intent to injure, intimidate or terrify any person is guilty of a felony and could be punished by up to seven years in state prison.
Lori Woodle, who lives across the street from Scattini, heard the blast Friday night at about 8:30pm, she said. Woodle said she turned off the lights and looked outside but did not see a car or anyone running away. The neighbor said she was surprised to find that Scattini’s mailbox had been destroyed.
“I hit the carpet,” Woodle said. “It was that loud. It’s Buena Vista, so there’s nothing around to absorb the sound.”
Scattini said he hopes it was just a random prank, but he’s concerned. He admitted that certain parts of being a marshal, which include evicting people from their homes, can be ugly.
“I think it was aimed at my profession more than me,” Scattini said, but added, “I treat everybody fair. I’ve never had any complaints.”
Scattini said he called the postmaster and he planned to call the FBI.
Mailboxes are federal property, and it is a felony to vandalize one, according to the United States Code. Anyone found guilty under the law could be fined up to $250,000 and face up to three years in prison.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
