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A Boston police officer was arrested and charged after his wife called police to report that she found military-grade explosives, grenades, and ammunition in their home. Police Officer Kirk D. Merricks, 43, is now facing 11 counts of possession of an explosive device, four counts of obtaining stolen property and one count of illegal possession of ammunition. A bomb squad was called in to remove the explosives from the residence on the night of July 11.
A police report states that Merricks’ wife and son discovered the explosives when they were going through the officer’s belongings. After calling Plymouth police around 3 p.m. Thursday, the officer’s wife led them to a shed containing military-grade explosives. A metal box contained four explosive sticks wrapped in military-style cloth and marked as ”TNT”. A black briefcase contained four 40 mm grenades that are normally used with an M203 grenade launcher – a device that the US military introduced in the early 1970s. M203 grenade launchers are categorized as “Destructive Devices” under the National Firearms Act and are rarely available on the civilian weapons market. Officers also found a detonation cord, blasting caps, and military-grade ammunition.
After pleading not guilty to his charges on Friday morning, he was freed on $1,000 bail. Botieri is a 14-year veteran of the Boston Police Department who previously served with the Marine Corps during Desert Storm. Police were called to his home during a domestic dispute last month. Merricks’ wife says the couple separated on June 4, when she filed a restraining order against him, accusing him of verbal abuse.
Originally posted by playernumber13
I don't know what the guy was planning to do with all those weapons but it seems to me like he was up to no good!
Botieri is a 14-year veteran of the Boston Police Department who previously served with the Marine Corps during Desert Storm.
Originally posted by Lipton
Botieri is a 14-year veteran of the Boston Police Department who previously served with the Marine Corps during Desert Storm.
I think I figured out how he came into possession of the items in question. You can only imagine the rigamarole service members go through now trying to leave theater. Gone are the days where one could literally mail home or drag home duffel bags of weapons from theater like my grandfather did when he came back from Germany.
I kid you not, I got shook down for 3 hours because Navy customs made the 'shocking' discovery that I had pornography while I was trying to come home. Even between Desert Storm and the War on Terror there have been huge changes to what one can stuff in a bag and fly home with.
Originally posted by Ameilia
reply to post by playernumber13
1. Why would he leave that stuff around if he and his wife separated and he didn't live there anymore?
2. Why would he leave it outside and unprotected? Maybe it wasn't unprotected, but the article reads like it was.
3. Why was his wife unaware this stuff was there? Nothing is around my house/property that I don't know about...I may not know about some scrap piece of paper, but this is quite a lot to just be unaware of. Is her head in her butt? Did she always know and reported him for revenge?
4. Why was his bail only $1,000?
5. Which exactly of these weapons were stolen? Article states he is facing 4 counts of possessing stolen property, then doesn't say what that was.
Way too many questions to make a judgement here.
Merricks’s attorney, Eric Goldman, said in court that there was no evidence linking the explosives to his client and suggested they may actually belong to the son of his estranged wife, who returned recently from a military tour of duty. “There is nothing linking him [Kirk] to these explosives, they just as easily could be the son’s,” he said.
Originally posted by smurfy
Originally posted by Ameilia
reply to post by playernumber13
1. Why would he leave that stuff around if he and his wife separated and he didn't live there anymore?
2. Why would he leave it outside and unprotected? Maybe it wasn't unprotected, but the article reads like it was.
3. Why was his wife unaware this stuff was there? Nothing is around my house/property that I don't know about...I may not know about some scrap piece of paper, but this is quite a lot to just be unaware of. Is her head in her butt? Did she always know and reported him for revenge?
4. Why was his bail only $1,000?
5. Which exactly of these weapons were stolen? Article states he is facing 4 counts of possessing stolen property, then doesn't say what that was.
Way too many questions to make a judgement here.
Yes, the stolen bit is curious and he is denying those charges.
Originally posted by James1982
The M203 shells and other explosives are likely property of the US government. Simply being in possession of them means you are in possession of stolen property, but it doesn't mean you stole it. He didn't get a charge for theft that I can see, so I'd bet money that the stolen property charge is simply because the explosives, were in fact, stolen at one point, likely by someone in service.
Overall I'd bet money that this is simply a case of soldiers bringing back toys from their deployment. Many soldiers do it, I know of a guy that would bring back high-end optics and other things, no idea how he did it, but he had a lot of Military property.
The last poster brought up some info that the woman's son recently came back from deployment, I'd say it's much more likely the goods belong to the son than the father. The father would likely be smart enough to remove his explosives from the house when they separated, because he wanted to keep them, he didn't want his wife getting him in trouble, or simply for safety reasons. The son, however, being younger and just back from deployment, likely was looking for a place to stash his stolen goodies and picked the wrong place.
Really seems like a non-story after getting into it, but on the surface my mind went immediately to a bombing connection or some sort.