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Explo Systems (Camp Minden explosion) trial
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:28 am
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:28 am
I don’t know if any of you have followed this, but the trial for the owners was set to begin today.
Over the last few months, some of the other defendents took plea deals that were pretty hefty, so it could reasonably be expected that the owners were going to get serious time.
Anyhoo...the primary owner, David Fincher, died over the weekend in Burns, TN where he lived with his wife in a very large house (5000 sf+) in the middle of 150+/- acres. There are no local news stories as to whether this was a suicide, but Mr. Fincher wasn’t ill, was in his early 70s, was facing the probability of the rest of his life in prison, and was likely facing the loss of his wealth. It’s not hard to do the math on this one.
I’m not sure where the trial goes from here, or if proceedings will move forward with the trial today.
This whole story would make a pretty good movie.
Over the last few months, some of the other defendents took plea deals that were pretty hefty, so it could reasonably be expected that the owners were going to get serious time.
Anyhoo...the primary owner, David Fincher, died over the weekend in Burns, TN where he lived with his wife in a very large house (5000 sf+) in the middle of 150+/- acres. There are no local news stories as to whether this was a suicide, but Mr. Fincher wasn’t ill, was in his early 70s, was facing the probability of the rest of his life in prison, and was likely facing the loss of his wealth. It’s not hard to do the math on this one.
I’m not sure where the trial goes from here, or if proceedings will move forward with the trial today.
This whole story would make a pretty good movie.
This post was edited on 6/4/18 at 9:40 am
2
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:37 am to Eli Goldfinger
Damn I remember when that happened. I could feel it in my house in bossier.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:38 am to TH03
By all accounts the Fincher dude was a huge arse to everyone.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:41 am to Eli Goldfinger
Any links on this? I am interested as I had some regulatory dealings with the previous accident out there when I was with the government. We used to joke that the place would explode every four to five years. At one point they were the only black powder manufacturer in the US.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:42 am to jbgleason
Google ‘explo systems camp minden’.
Basically...ES was contracted to demilitarize munitions and then would sell the explosives to the mining industry. When the mining industry tanked, ES didn’t stop taking the ordinance from the military and just started stacking the explosives outside.
When the gov started getting suspicious, ES lied about some audit stuff. Then the explosion happened and investigators found what was going on.
Ultimately, the gov had to build a multi million dollar incinerator to clean up the mess.
Basically...ES was contracted to demilitarize munitions and then would sell the explosives to the mining industry. When the mining industry tanked, ES didn’t stop taking the ordinance from the military and just started stacking the explosives outside.
When the gov started getting suspicious, ES lied about some audit stuff. Then the explosion happened and investigators found what was going on.
Ultimately, the gov had to build a multi million dollar incinerator to clean up the mess.
This post was edited on 6/4/18 at 9:46 am
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:50 am to Eli Goldfinger
quote:
When the gov started getting suspicious, ES lied about some audit stuff. Then the explosion happened and investigators found what was going on.
The gov't had no knowledge? With all those pallets lined up, out in the open?
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:51 am to Eli Goldfinger
quote:
the gov had to build a multi million dollar incinerator to clean up the mess.
Small side note, the guy who got the contract to destroy all the left over explosives is a retired LSP Trooper. He was a bomb tech for the state and was the one who was tasked with writing all of the current laws and regulations for explosives use and storage in LA. Being a smart guy, he carefully crafted it all to fit some very specific parameters. As soon as they were all signed into law, he retired and opened a business running the classes that get you licensed. He also opened a business providing a myriad of services that fit right into the laws and regulations. The ones he wrote. He has made millions. Classic Louisiana.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 9:58 am to jbgleason
Posted on 6/4/18 at 10:02 am to jbgleason
In speaking to some that I work with who had past dealings with this site. Apparently, Fincher had his license revoked in the past, but managed to pull some strings to get it reinstated.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 10:15 am to tommy2tone1999
Yeah...I’d heard Fincher & pals were pretty shady.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 10:50 am to Bistineaubengal
quote:
The gov't had no knowledge? With all those pallets lined up, out in the open?
No. The QAR inspector assigned to the site visited weekly. He was given phony records of intake/outtake of explosives. It is my understanding that they even went as far as rotate inventory in the same warehouses to make it appear "things were getting done."
Meanwhile, they stockpiled shite-tons of explosives in every place possible that the QAR inspector had no knowledge even existed. The QAR officer was subject to a very thorough investigation himself and was considered a suspect of allowing them to circumvent laws/regulations. It was pretty much proven he did his job thoroughly, but was simply lied to and conned.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 11:00 am to Floating Change Up
I believe the head guys may have even shipped/stored the explosives on their own private properties. This is just speculation on my part though.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 3:03 pm to Floating Change Up
quote:
No. The QAR inspector assigned to the site visited weekly. He was given phony records of intake/outtake of explosives. It is my understanding that they even went as far
as rotate inventory in the same warehouses to make it appear "things were getting done."
That is a shite ton of propellant to hide and/or rotate.
Posted on 6/4/18 at 3:56 pm to Bistineaubengal
Wasn't most of it underground? Next to Doyline?
Posted on 6/4/18 at 4:21 pm to tigahbruh
quote:
Wasn't most of it underground? Next to Doyline?
Not sure how much was stored in bunkers, but a lot of it was sitting out in the open on pallets.
Posted on 6/11/18 at 1:18 pm to Eli Goldfinger
Actually Explo was contracted to demil munitions. What they did with the material that was remaining was up to them. It had nothing to do with the mining industry. A magazine exploded in October 2012 and an Explo employee told the state police about what was going on and the state police went to the plant in November 2012 and found the material being stored improperly. Until that point the gov. did not suspect anything unlawful was going on.
Posted on 6/11/18 at 1:26 pm to jbgleason
This sounds like it all just happened in the past 6 years. Yes he retired from LSP, yes he wrote most of the laws regulating explosives but it was a team and it was over 30 years ago. His company did win the bid to burn all of the propellant and his company paid to have the chamber built. He did not make millions nor did his company. He did not oversee the project, that was handled by his son. It doesn't matter who writes the laws for explosives as long as those laws are approved and followed.
Posted on 6/11/18 at 1:33 pm to tigahbruh
There was nothing stored underground. It was stored improperly in the open and in the magazine areas. Camp Minden backs up to Doyline and Explo was on the Doyline side.
Posted on 6/11/18 at 1:37 pm to Floating Change Up
I worked on Camp Minden for 12 years and no one visited the private companies out there once a week. They did not inspect Explo once a week either. Have you seen the pictures that were taken at the beginning of this mess? They could not "rotate inventory in the same warehouses to make it appear "things were getting done.""
Posted on 6/11/18 at 1:59 pm to Blaster
quote:
A magazine exploded in October 2012
Whole damn "E line" burned/blew up a few years before that. Explo did have some work related to mining with respect to some emulsion production and later contract work out of state.
Oh, David Fincher died recently, just two days before trial was to begin.
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