What You Will Learn
- How a pipe bomb mailed to probation clerk Rebecca Roland was safely detonated after it failed to explode.
- How investigators linked Loren Bruce Pierson to the package using computer records and a dog hair.
- How a federal firearm charge and forensic evidence helped secure Piersonās conviction.
On September 21, 1995, the quiet town of Centerville, Texas, population 900, was thrust into a terrifying ordeal that would shake its small-town charm to the core.
As the local mail carrier made his rounds on the Leon County Square, he delivered a package that would later be revealed as a potentially catastrophic threat to the community.
The cardboard box, mailed from Dallas the previous day, was addressed to Rebecca Roland, a Leon County Probation Department clerk. As Roland attempted to open the package, she encountered difficulty removing a metal box stuck inside.
Enlisting the help of her supervisor, they managed to extract the metal container. Upon opening the lid, the supervisor’s chilling cry of “Bomb, Bomb!” sent shockwaves through the office.
In an interview with Robert Riggs on the True Crime ReporterĀ® Podcast, former federal prosecutor Bill Johnston recounted the harrowing moments that followed: “A click took place. And within 30 seconds everyone ran out of that building screaming. It was a double-pipe bomb. Heavy pipes with refrigerator switches are used to turn on the light when the door opens.”
A Close Call
The metal box contained a large, sophisticated pipe bomb. The lid was attached to a switch normally used in refrigerators to turn on the light when the door opens. It should have sent an electrical charge to the detonator.
A U.S. Army bomb disposal unit was summoned to the scene, where they confirmed the presence of a live explosive device. In a tense operation that held the town’s breath, the bomb was carefully moved to the courthouse square.
“One brave soldier carefully carried this object, this box, to the middle of the courthouse square. He placed it down. They put sandbags all around it, thousands of pounds of sandbags,” Johnston explained.
With the pipe bomb safely encased in the makeshift sandbag bunker, bomb disposal technicians ultimately detonated the device by shooting a .50 caliber round into the pipeāthe explosion released a fireball approximately four feet in diameter.
According to Johnston, an ATF bomb expert, later testified that had the bomb exploded in the probation department, it would have been catastrophic. “It would have killed everyone in there. It would have killed everyone in the bank next door, and it would have collapsed the entire part of the block,” Johnston said.
Unraveling the Plot
As investigators delved into the case, they discovered that Rebecca Roland, the probation department clerk who was the intended recipient of the bomb, had a protective order against her estranged husband, Loren Bruce Pierson, for domestic abuse and stalking. Roland had recently left Pierson after he assaulted her and her teenage daughter with his crutch, prompting threats from Pierson that he would kill her if she left.
The mother and daughter subsequently moved to a nearby mobile home. Pierson continued his harassment by shouting obscene threats and taking potshots at the trailer where Roland resided.
Johnston obtained a search warrant for Piersonās home.
The Missing Computer Font
As agents approached, Pierson aroused more suspicion by asking if anything had happened to his wife. ā
The mailing label for the bomb was typed in the widely used Times New Roman font. During the search, Investigators confiscated Pierson’s Packard Bell computer and printer to determine whether he had used them to type the label.
A forensic analysis revealed that the Times New Roman font had been deleted from Piersonās computer on the very day of the attempted bombing. It was evidence that Pierson was trying to cover his tracks.
But Piersonās house was cleanāno fingerprints, no gunpowder, and no supplies that could tie him to bomb-making were found.
Investigators had a motive but no decisive forensic evidence.
Buying Time With The Violence Against Women Act
During the search, agents also seized a 30/30 Strum Rifle and a Marlin shotgun from Piersonās home.
However, Pierson was under a family violence protective order. Under the new federal Violence Against Women Act, Pierson was prohibited from possessing firearms.
“He became the first person in the United States charged under the law,” said Johnston proudly.
With Pierson held behind bars without bond, the forensic investigation by U.S. Postal Inspectors continued.
A Canine Clue
The case took an unexpected turn when investigators discovered a crucial piece of evidence ā a single animal hair on the packaging tape. This led to a second search warrant, allowing authorities to vacuum Pierson’s house and seize his vacuum cleaner bags for forensic analysis.
“We got a call one day. And forensics asked if Pierson owned a large mixed breed dog?” Johnston recalled. “This is very strange hair. We don’t see it. It’s not one in a million, but it’s almost. You vacuumed clear hairs with ovoid bodies that match the clear hair with ovoid bodies, the single hair on the tape of the bomb package.”
Indeed, Pierson owned a large mutt similar to the size of a Great Dane.
This unique piece of evidence and other circumstantial facts ultimately led to Pierson’s conviction and his 38-year sentence in federal prison.
Epilogue
Loren Bruce Pierson died in federal custody in January 2012 at the age of 62, having served 16 years of his sentence. The case serves as a chilling reminder of the potential for domestic disputes to escalate into threats to public safety and the importance of diligent investigative work in bringing such cases to resolution.
