TX - Fertilizer plant explodes in West, Texas

[marycarney]

I've been hesitant to speculate much about Bryce Reed's history as we know it to be post- explosion... It seems to be a controversial topic here and I'm finished with controversy on WS. What I want to say in this post is largely hypothetical at this point. I believe that all persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and even then, some slip through the cracks ( Casey Anthony).
So please, no egg- throwing :truce:

IF the fire was deliberately started, unless the fire bug had a specific grudge against the Adair's fertilizer and grain business, the fire starter is likely to go on to start other fires and or explosions and kill others.
Pyromania is not a one- off crime, it is a habitual offense, an addictive sociopathic behavior. Likewise, if a former uniformed rescuer started the blaze which led to the explosion, there MAY be a history of other deliberate criminal acts involving either fires or causing Code Blue situations then " rescuing" the victims and getting the " Hero" response-- accolades and praise from other EMTs/ Paramedics in the field or ambulance with him, and supervisory recognition for excellence.

I wish we knew the relationship of the person in Abbott TX, who was given the box containing the bomb and additional bomb making supplies. Could this be an innocent person who has unknowingly sheltered evidence or criminal behavior in the past? ( Providing alibis, helping out a friend or relative without knowing the implications?)

Two questions come to mind:
1) How exactly, do you hand off a bomb in a box to a person who trusts you enough and you trust enough to give them such a thing? Regardless of the nasty comments left all over the Internet about Texans in the wake of this disaster, I know the state is not a refuge for anarchists. This is such a whackadoodle thing to do in and of itself. " Here, here's a package for you to keep but please don't get it near flames".. How is that sane?
2) How did he manage to lie about being a Registered Nurse and no one caught it? All states have online licensure verification and the State Boards of Nursing can also tell an agency if a person has ever been licensed in that state, if the faker says license lapsed for one reason or another. Does this lying mean he was never eligible or qualified to be an EMT? As I understand it, he was an EMT instructor in West. He would still have had to go to school to become a licensed, certified EMT. Did he or did he not? An RN is not automatically an EMT anyway, and an EMT is certainly not an RN.

Did Cyrus Reed perhaps find out something about BR's lies or bomb-making? He seems to be the " ground zero" for Bryce Reed. Why do all of BR's roads lead back to a dead firefighter who was NOT a close friend OR relative as BR has claimed, even brazenly on national TV?
How does a sane person steal items from a dead man's house when the man was such a role model and almost idolized by BR, apparently?

I would really like to know what BR's employment background looks like at age 31. He was fired ( or as they said " Let go", which is fired) from West. He lied about professional credentialing which may point to habitual serious lying, IMO. What are the other lies? Where did he live prior to moving to West TX and what may he have done there?

If LE are smart, they will call in the FBI to thoroughly investigate his past in all aspects where he has lived from early teen age and up. If he is a classic pyromaniac, then there was most likely deviant behavior in his teen years ( cruelty to animals, disregard for the feelings of others, sociopathic lying). . If he has " Hero Syndrome", it will show up in the ratio of near deaths in his reports vs. his co-workers' reports.

If his wife is still separated from him, there is a chance that she could be a valuable source of information. She was reported to have been in the car with him at the time of the fire and explosion. I think she may be a valuable witness if approached with immunity for her possible knowledge of criminal behavior.

This is what I hope gets investigated about a man who is, at the very least, a habitual liar and a thief. The rest is conjecture at this point- about a suspect in custody for a crime related to making a weapon -and I have clearly said so.

There may be other suspects we do not know about. Or BR may have been cleared of criminal wrongdoing in the blast, but authorities are not saying this. IDK.

In other news, looks like the blast may put a real hardship on the children of West, TX.
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greate...cle_9f4d9915-37ca-59d5-bfd8-27b2238dbf7e.html

Again, except for the info about the schools being possibly underinsured, these are questions I have and some of them are hypothetical.
I do not wish to malign anyone or unfairly accuse the innocent. I am working with what we have, and what Bryce Reed himself has said and done which is in the public domain. He is jailed on suspicion of committing a serious offense. I didn't pick his name out of a hat.

I'm concerned that the destruction may not be over if there is a pyromaniac ( habitual fire starter) behind the explosion. If it is an accidental explosion, I hope we will know before too long.

And in closing, I hope Bryce Reed gets the psych. help he needs to stop his outrageous lying and other grandiose behaviors, and to stop stealing.
He is not an emotionally well person.

Thanks for reading

EXCELLENT analysis. Well done!

 

[mysteriew]

Something about this bothers me. It seems if Reed fits the profile too well. It's almost like he read an instruction booklet on how to draw the most suspicion on himself............

It's an interesting report. Despite the fact that it is written and formatted in governmentese it is quite readable. The profile section is especially good. And they give several case studies. Though I have to say their study group was quite small. Interestingly they don't track or connect firefighter arson so there are very little statistics on it.

 

[marycarney]

It's an interesting report. Despite the fact that it is written and formatted in governmentese it is quite readable. The profile section is especially good. And they give several case studies. Though I have to say their study group was quite small. Interestingly they don't track or connect firefighter arson so there are very little statistics on it.

BBM: I'm kind of happy they could not find more 'subjects'.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

The FF hero syndrome kinda fits B Reed's behaviors afterwards, but I get kinda stuck at his reported actions beforehand.

Supposedly, he was with his wife when the first calls went out about the fire. I doubt he'd go start a fire, run right back to wherever his wife was, then when the fire started and the response began by others, why would he then go WITH his wife towards it...and then turn around and go start evacuations?

I guess, unless one thinks he rigged up explosives and knew an explosion was going to happen shortly after the fire. But why be with his wife?

I dunno, just thinking.

He may fit the hero complex, but I still can't use that as turning to him actively starting the fire that led to the explosion. My mind isn't making that connection yet. I'd need more info to make that leap.

But did he have problems and an ego? Yes, it appears so.

JMO

 

[jjenny]

Who says BR was with his wife? If it comes from him, then he obviously says a lot of things.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

You're right, maybe he's the only one that said it. LE has interviewed his wife. They know whether his story/activities match up with hers.

It's the public that doesn't know yet. I just haven't seen anything reported that disputes that part of his claim. Has anyone else?

JMO

 

[ohiogirl]

I am wondering about the actual charge from the grand jury-that of unregistered firearm. That is very different from the original charge-yet he still remains under no bond.

The charge is the same. The unregistered firearm is the explosive device. Sorry if this has already been answered.

 

[ohiogirl]

You're right, maybe he's the only one that said it. LE has interviewed his wife. They know whether his story/activities match up with hers.

It's the public that doesn't know yet. I just haven't seen anything reported that disputes that part of his claim. Has anyone else?

JMO

IMO, there is a reason he was fired 2 days after the explosion and the other emergency personnel were just put on leave. And, I don't have a link to that, but I read it somewhere. sorry.
Also, just sayin', reportedly he went on leave from his EMS job 2 weeks before the explosion. Going on leave can also be another way to say, go on leave or you will be fired. All my own opinions.

 

[faw720]

I would like to know where he was all day before the fire. Was he with other people the entire day? Did anyone see him or his vehicle near the fertilizer plant? I'm sure LE knows the answers to those questions. I also still want to know why he had explosive materials & why on earth leave them with a friend.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

IMO, there is a reason he was fired 2 days after the explosion and the other emergency personnel were just put on leave. And, I don't have a link to that, but I read it somewhere. sorry.
Also, just sayin', reportedly he went on leave from his EMS job 2 weeks before the explosion. Going on leave can also be another way to say, go on leave or you will be fired. All my own opinions.

The public reason stated in an article linked here (somewhere, LOL), was that he was fired from the West FD because he kept talking to the media when told not to. IIRC.

I don't know if we've ever heard an official reason for his leave request from his primary job.

It just seems like his life was spiraling in early April.

What he did under those stressors, I guess remains to be seen.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

The FF hero syndrome kinda fits B Reed's behaviors afterwards, but I get kinda stuck at his reported actions beforehand.

Supposedly, he was with his wife when the first calls went out about the fire. I doubt he'd go start a fire, run right back to wherever his wife was, then when the fire started and the response began by others, why would he then go WITH his wife towards it...and then turn around and go start evacuations?

I guess, unless one thinks he rigged up explosives and knew an explosion was going to happen shortly after the fire. But why be with his wife?

I dunno, just thinking.

He may fit the hero complex, but I still can't use that as turning to him actively starting the fire that led to the explosion. My mind isn't making that connection yet. I'd need more info to make that leap.

But did he have problems and an ego? Yes, it appears so.

JMO

Your questions are similar to mine. I haven't found anything that states his activities on the day of the incident. I'm sure LE has traced his steps and has more information than we do. Part of me wants to think he is being held for his own safety and to get help and the other part wonders if there is more to it.

 

[faw720]

The link below will lead you to some extremely good pictures of damage to homes in West on Reagan St. There are also personal stories from some of the people who lived in these homes.

Sorry I can't get a direct link to work, but if you click on this link & then select the topic "Interactive: Reagan St. a road of ruin" you will be able to view. Wish I were a computer guru, but I'm not. If someone can get the direct link to work, feel free to post it.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/

 

[SeekingJana]

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greate...cle_f50b3b00-54cd-5ed9-b433-e5740f5426fb.html

The Chemical Safety Board dude needs to be quiet, IMO. The ATF, Texas Rangers and State Fire Marshals have said they are conducting a " criminal investigation" connected to the blast.

The CSB is a fairly new, small, underfunded agency. I'd say the ATF needs to keep pushing back. We KNOW what chemicals were on site.

This is upsetting. The CSB wants their name in lights, and if they push for jurisdiction now, may compromise the integrity of an ongoing investigation. Too little, too late. Why aren't they ( The Chemical Safety Board) active in performing safety checks of plants storing and using chemicals before they blow up? They might could have mandated safety changes at West Fertilizer Co. :banghead:

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

"Ex-West EMT moved to undisclosed Location"

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_e...cle_526d71ea-c415-5f15-aff4-19950e95affe.html



Well, that's kinda interesting. Two intial thoughts (of which could be right or wrong, just sayin'): 1) Federal detention psych ward or 2) there IS a second jail facility in the area - so maybe it's just semantics when they say he's been moved from the McLennan County Jail.

Hmmmm. But that his atty says they "found some middle ground" and agreed to move him, makes me kinda think it's psych related. JMO and MOO


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Looking forward to today's release of the report.

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And 4 weeks to the night (a Wednesday), prayers need to go out to Granbury, TX, a little north of West - 6 confirmed dead in the horrible storm, and I think I heard 14 missing as of the 6am news. I'm concerned about my former horse trainers that live in Cleburne - there are normally about 50-60 horses on that property, and Cleburne (right next to Granbury) got hit so hard. Ugh.

Well, hot dog...lookie here. We called it, last week's delay was psych related.

This article below states he will be moved to a fed psych facility, probably Springfield, MO. I'd say yes, as when our agency has someone evaluated, that is where they all go.

So, I'd say when he was moved last week, he went to the local mental health crisis facility...and now they've had enough data to get him transferred. Fits the norm for federal detainees here.

Article says he's been depressed since his separation from his wife, and the blast. It further states he's had jail visits from his mom, dad, wife, and a mental health caseworker.


http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greate...cle_601d2f51-41e1-5b5f-a5a4-9a9c3f05c450.html

 

[faw720]

Well, hot dog...lookie here. We called it, last week's delay was psych related.

This article below states he will be moved to a fed psych facility, probably Springfield, MO. I'd say yes, as when our agency has someone evaluated, that is where they all go.

So, I'd say when he was moved last week, he went to the local mental health crisis facility...and now they've had enough data to get him transferred. Fits the norm for federal detainees here.

Article says he's been depressed since his separation from his wife, and the blast. It further states he's had jail visits from his mom, dad, wife, and a mental health caseworker.


http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greate...cle_601d2f51-41e1-5b5f-a5a4-9a9c3f05c450.html

JMO, that is exactly where he needs to be. Whether innocent or guilty of any crime, it appears that Reed has significant mental health issues.

 

[faw720]

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greate...cle_f50b3b00-54cd-5ed9-b433-e5740f5426fb.html

The Chemical Safety Board dude needs to be quiet, IMO. The ATF, Texas Rangers and State Fire Marshals have said they are conducting a " criminal investigation" connected to the blast.

The CSB is a fairly new, small, underfunded agency. I'd say the ATF needs to keep pushing back. We KNOW what chemicals were on site.

This is upsetting. The CSB wants their name in lights, and if they push for jurisdiction now, may compromise the integrity of an ongoing investigation. Too little, too late. Why aren't they ( The Chemical Safety Board) active in performing safety checks of plants storing and using chemicals before they blow up? They might could have mandated safety changes at West Fertilizer Co. :banghead:

I totally agree!! It is so sad that there is political posturing & that some people have lost sight of the real issues here. IMO, the criminal investigation should trump all investigations.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

Well, hot dog...lookie here. We called it, last week's delay was psych related.

This article below states he will be moved to a fed psych facility, probably Springfield, MO. I'd say yes, as when our agency has someone evaluated, that is where they all go.

So, I'd say when he was moved last week, he went to the local mental health crisis facility...and now they've had enough data to get him transferred. Fits the norm for federal detainees here.

Article says he's been depressed since his separation from his wife, and the blast. It further states he's had jail visits from his mom, dad, wife, and a mental health caseworker.


http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greate...cle_601d2f51-41e1-5b5f-a5a4-9a9c3f05c450.html

I'm glad to see he is where he should be. The only problem with the article that I have, is the fact that he was having problems before the blast and separation from his wife. Of course those events would compound the situation, but I hope that all the mental health professionals that treat him dig back deeper than that when evaluating him and not just concentrate on events that occurred after the fact.

 

[mysteriew]

Well, hot dog...lookie here. We called it, last week's delay was psych related.

This article below states he will be moved to a fed psych facility, probably Springfield, MO. I'd say yes, as when our agency has someone evaluated, that is where they all go.

So, I'd say when he was moved last week, he went to the local mental health crisis facility...and now they've had enough data to get him transferred. Fits the norm for federal detainees here.

Article says he's been depressed since his separation from his wife, and the blast. It further states he's had jail visits from his mom, dad, wife, and a mental health caseworker.


http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greate...cle_601d2f51-41e1-5b5f-a5a4-9a9c3f05c450.html

Yep you called it.

For locals, what is the general public saying. Do they believe he is involved? How about people who know him? Do they believe he is involved or not? What is the general opinion?

 

[mysteriew]

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greate...cle_f50b3b00-54cd-5ed9-b433-e5740f5426fb.html

The Chemical Safety Board dude needs to be quiet, IMO. The ATF, Texas Rangers and State Fire Marshals have said they are conducting a " criminal investigation" connected to the blast.

The CSB is a fairly new, small, underfunded agency. I'd say the ATF needs to keep pushing back. We KNOW what chemicals were on site.

This is upsetting. The CSB wants their name in lights, and if they push for jurisdiction now, may compromise the integrity of an ongoing investigation. Too little, too late. Why aren't they ( The Chemical Safety Board) active in performing safety checks of plants storing and using chemicals before they blow up? They might could have mandated safety changes at West Fertilizer Co. :banghead:

IMO

I can see arguments both for and against having them involved.

For: Isn't the CSB responsible for monitoring the amounts of chemicals and the safety measures that go along with sites like this? And there has been a lot of talk about the amounts of chemicals and the inadequate safety measures. They should see that for themselves. They should see where they failed and the consequences of that failure. And they should be looking at if there were any chargable crimes committed in the acquisition and storing of those chemicals. They would be the ones who best know the laws related to those issues (I hope).

Against: This is a potential crime scene. The chain of custody for evidence has to be protected. The possible criminal case has to be protected.

One thing that bothers me about the statements in this article. They only want one report, one point of view in this incident. That really bugs me. This was a multi faceted incident. There were possible excessive amts of the chemicals involved, there are questions about whether the safety measures met the codes, there is the question of what set it off. And there is the question of whether it was set off intentionally. There is the question of how can this be prevented in the future. So one criminal report whose main priority is the criminal case and that protects the criminal case, will be inadequate IMO.

 

[SeekingJana]

IMO

I can see arguments both for and against having them involved.

For: Isn't the CSB responsible for monitoring the amounts of chemicals and the safety measures that go along with sites like this? And there has been a lot of talk about the amounts of chemicals and the inadequate safety measures. They should see that for themselves. They should see where they failed and the consequences of that failure. And they should be looking at if there were any chargable crimes committed in the acquisition and storing of those chemicals. They would be the ones who best know the laws related to those issues (I hope).

Against: This is a potential crime scene. The chain of custody for evidence has to be protected. The possible criminal case has to be protected.

One thing that bothers me about the statements in this article. They only want one report, one point of view in this incident. That really bugs me. This was a multi faceted incident. There were possible excessive amts of the chemicals involved, there are questions about whether the safety measures met the codes, there is the question of what set it off. And there is the question of whether it was set off intentionally. There is the question of how can this be prevented in the future. So one criminal report whose main priority is the criminal case and that protects the criminal case, will be inadequate IMO.

BBM. The Chemical Safety Board has NOTHING to investigate. The ATF guy at the presser quantified the amounts and types of chemicals on site at West Fertilizer. The blast force has been measured in tons of Ammonium Nitrate converted to TNT ( explosive nitroglycerine).

What more could a brand new agency do except stick its nose into and come up with a different answer? This is political posturing and I think I speak for the majority of Texans in saying that the ATF. State and Federal Fire Marshalls, and the Texas Rangers ALL take precedence. The quality of their work is known.

There IS some background on the CSB in West, TX already. There was an article in the Waco newspaper about how he CSB is new, underfunded and understaffed. It was published about 1 week before the link I posted was published in the paper.

We need QUALITY on the scene, not QUANTITY. And how dare the CSB cat criticize the ATF for digging into the blast site crater?:banghead:
They absolutely did quantify and qualify the chemicals stored at the now- flattened crater of a plant. The talking head for CSB is really making me mad.

Sorry, but this is a very serious ongoing investigation and I do not want to see some Goober mess it up.
I am very sure you feel the same way.. I'm just venting ( again).

It is CRITICAL that the investigation go forward, especially in light of the undetermined results and the new info about one POSSIBLE suspect, IMO.