Crime & Safety

Booking Photos Released: Cherry Valley Standoff Suspects Had Underground Bunker With Explosives, Officials Say

Three men accused of possession of explosives in their Cherry Valley home remained jailed Tuesday, as more details about what authorities found in their search of the residence were revealed.

According to new information released by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, a man and his two sons were keeping explosive devices-- described as "sophisticated bomb making materials"-- inside an underground bunker in their Nancy Avenue backyard.

"Inside the bunker investigators located a large amount of explosive munitions," Sheriff's Sgt. James Burton said in a press release.  "Due to the amount of explosive devices located, the United States Air Force Hazardous Materials experts and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation were called in to assist with the investigation."

49-year-old Bruce Borynack and his 25-year-old son Zachariah were already facing 39 felony counts of possession of a destructive device in public, along with a felony count of manufacturing a destructive device related to an August 2011 incident, according to court documents.  Now, those two along with Bruce Borynack's other son Zephaniah, 23, were booked into jail on 14 new charges of reckless possession of a destructive device, according to Burton.

All three were arrested Sunday following two standoff situations; one in Beaumont and the other in Cherry Valley.


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