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PRESS RELEASE

Date of Release: 6-23-2011
Date/Time of Incident: 6-22-2011 @ 400pm
Type of Incident: Suspicious Vehicle
Place of Occurrence: City of Tomah

Subject: Edward Kruger, 63yoa, resident of Monroe County

Summary of Incident:

On April 20, 2011 the Tomah Police Department assisted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department with an incident that occurred on Eureka Road in Monroe County. During this incident a subject, identified as Edward Kruger, was in the possession of suspicious materials which led officers to believe that Kruger may be in the possession of explosive devices. Kruger advised the officers that he had made explosives devices within three to four months of April 20^th. In addition Kruger possessed printed materials related to Improvised Explosive Devices and Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices. At the conclusion of this incident Kruger was referred to the Monroe County District Attorney’s office for the carrying a concealed handgun in his vehicle.

On June 22, 2011 at approx 4:00pm Officers were called to the 1000 block of Superior Avenue for a vehicle that was parked in front of the First Bank of Tomah. The vehicle was partially blocking the roadway and the operator was not located near the vehicle. The officers noted that there was a beeping sound coming from the trunk of the vehicle. The vehicle was registered to Edward Kruger.

Based on the previous contact and information known about Kruger, the suspicious way and location that the vehicle was parked, and the beeping sound coming from the vehicle there was a concern that the vehicle may contain an explosive device.

The area in and around the vehicle were secured to include the businesses and apartments in the downtown area.

Kruger was located in the downtown area. Kruger admitted to having “inert” devices in the vehicle that he had made for training purposes. He indicated that these devices would look similar to improvised bombs to include blasting caps and tubes with wires taped to them.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene. The contents of the vehicle could not be deemed safe.

A decision was made to contact the Dane County Ordnance Disposal Unit to assist in rendering the scene safe. The Dane County Ordnance Disposal Unit arrived and deployed a robot to assist in removing items from the vehicle. All of the items removed from the vehicle were determined to be inert, non explosive devices.

The Tomah Police Department was assisted at the scene by the following agencies; Tomah Fire Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Tomah Area Ambulance Department, Fort McCoy Fire Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Dane County Ordnance Disposal Unit.

Lieutenant Mark Nicholson #85

Tomah Police Department
805 Superior Ave.
Tomah, WI 54660
608-374-7400

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