- Rodney Van Bostian, 59, was arrested and accused of attempting to blow up a water tank.
- He faces 30 criminal charges, including property damage, trespassing and drug possession with intent.
- Deputies reported finding firearms, ammo and drugs at his property.
ENTERPRISE, Washington County — A Washington County man was arrested Monday and accused of trying to blow up his neighbor's water tank.
Rodney Van Bostian, 59, was charged on Tuesday in 5th District Court with causing property damage, a second-degree felony; drug possession with intent to distribute and 25 counts of being a restricted person in possession of a gun for allegedly possessing drugs and guns at the same time, third-degree felonies; and trespassing, unlawfully carrying a firearm in a vehicle and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors.
Monday morning, sheriff's deputies received information that Bostian "was shooting Tannerite near someone else's water tank," according to a police booking affidavit. His wife called police to say that "Rodney was scaring her, and she had him locked out of her home.
"Rodney admitted to her that he went to the neighbor's property and stuck Tannerite near the tank and shot at it. He missed the Tannerite and gathered the Tannerite up from the ground and left. During our investigation, it was found that there is a bullet hole striking the front of the tank, creating a hole, and exiting the rear of the tank, creating a second hole," deputies noted in the affidavit.
Tannerite is a brand of binary explosive targets, typically used during long-range target practice. The targets will explode when shot by a high-velocity bullet.
Deputies contacted Bostian and convinced him to go to the fairgrounds in Enterprise, where he could be taken safely into custody.
"Rodney arrived and had a firearm on his side. It was a .45 1911 with a round in the chamber. He also had an AR-15 style rifle on the front passenger seat, in plain view, with a round in the chamber," according to the affidavit.
Deputies later received permission to search Bostian's property, including inside a shed where 23 firearms were located and seized, according to the affidavit.
"Several were hanging on a wall, and some were loaded. There were multiple rifles and handguns nearby in containers. There was ammo on shelves, in bookcases, and in boxes in different areas of the shed. The ammo was for many different firearms. A Tannerite container with duct tape wrapped around it was located on the floor, and Rodney admitted to (his wife) it was the one he used on the water tank. There is a video of Rodney admitting to trying to blow up the water tank," the affidavit alleges.
Deputies reported seizing multiple "jars and bags" of marijuana.
Two weeks earlier, investigators say Bostian claimed "he was a prophet of Yehwah" and that "he was going to Oklahoma and start a holy war against the Muslim religion," deputies wrote in the arrest report. Police say that information was forwarded to the FBI office in Oklahoma.
Deputies say because Bostian is "showing signs of a mental health crisis" as well as having "a dangerous mindset," they recommend he not have access to firearms for the safety of himself and others.
