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A retired police officer in Aurora, Colorado, was arrested last week, accused of helping a friend cover his tracks after he set off a pipe bomb on Christmas Day.
Curtiss Christensen, a former sergeant in the Aurora Police Department, was taken into custody during a traffic stop on March 3, the Sentinel Colorado reported.
The 69-year-old, who retired in 2006 after 23 years with the department, is facing three felony charges—tampering with evidence, accessory to a crime and illegal purchase of a firearm—according to court documents obtained by the newspaper.
A probable cause affidavit released this week alleges that Christensen assisted the alleged bomber—Scott Alan Campbell, 43—by helping him get rid of his own SUV, which Campbell had used to move the bomb.
Christensen also allegedly urged Campbell to dump other evidence before it could be seized by the authorities.
According to the affidavit, Campbell allegedly built multiple pipe bombs before detonating two near his home in South Uravan Street, one on December 25 last year and another on January 7.
At around 5 a.m. on Christmas morning, surveillance footage captured a car and trailer passing by the home of a 73-year-old woman, moments before an object was dropped out of the vehicle's window. Seconds later, a large explosion occurred and shrapnel ended up in the woman's front door and kitchen.
In the blast on January 7, debris flew into the bedroom of a 28-year-old woman.
Aurora Police Officer Andy McDermott wrote in the affidavit that it was "simply a matter of luck" no one was injured or killed.
The Sentinel reported that hours after the first explosion, Campbell sent a text message to Christensen asking for help to hide Christensen's Nissan Pathfinder and trailer.
Campbell had previously dated Christensen's daughter and was living with him at the time.
The affidavit said Christensen at first agreed to lend Campbell money for a storage facility, but then urged him to park the vehicle and trailer instead, so as not to leave a paper trail.
Authorities later discovered that Christensen had donated his car, which they allege was to prevent them from finding it.
Police identified Campbell as the suspected bomber after DNA was found on the materials at the two scenes. When they arrested him, they found bomb-making supplies in his garage and bedroom.
Court records say Campbell confessed to detonating the bombs shortly after his arrest and wrote an apology to the people affected.
Detectives listened to jail phone calls between Christiansen and Campbell, and heard Christiansen express regret that Campbell hadn't disposed of the materials before the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives got involved.
"The fact that Curtiss Christensen had told Scott Campbell to 'Get rid of everything," before the ATF got involved is telling," McDermott wrote in the affidavit.
"Curtiss Christensen is a retired police sergeant and would know, through experience, that the ATF is primarily responsible for investigating explosives and firearms charges."
Christensen was released from custody after posting a $75,000 bond, according to the Sentinel. He is due to appear in court on March 30.
The Aurora Police Department has been contacted for comment.
About the writer
Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda ... Read more