Man Arrested in Pipe Bomb Attack That Injured Two
SIMI VALLEY — A Moorpark man was arrested early Sunday on suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly threw a pipe bomb into the Simi Valley home of his wife’s ex-husband, an act that may have been related to a child custody battle, police said.
James R. McKeever, 43, was arrested at his home at 2 a.m. Sunday after Simi Valley police searched the house and questioned him for hours, police said in a statement.
“The motive for this bombing is believed to be an ongoing custody dispute†between McKeever’s wife and her former husband, John Monroe--a victim in the bombing, police said.
McKeever was booked into Ventura County Jail, where he was being held Sunday evening in lieu of $250,000 bail. Arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, authorities said.
Monroe, 34, and his wife, Charlene Mayer, 33, were injured early Saturday morning after a pipe bomb was thrown through a window and landed on their bed, police said.
Mayer, who suffered serious injuries to her leg and underwent surgery, remained at Simi Valley Hospital late Sunday. A hospital spokeswoman said she would not describe Mayer’s condition because of the patient’s request for privacy.
Monroe suffered shrapnel wounds on his leg and body but was not hospitalized.
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