March 25th, 2019 by WCBC Radio

Deputy state fire marshals conducted a controlled detonation in Linganore on Sunday after finding explosive materials linked to a stalking case from nearly two decades ago.

WBAL reports a passerby found the explosives in a wooded area. Frederick County investigators found that the explosives were connected to Alan Chmurny, who took his own life in a Howard County courtroom by ingesting cyanide after his 2001 conviction, Howard County police and fire marshals said in a release.

After receiving the 911 call at around 2:10 p.m. Sunday, deputy fire marshals responded and found a container filled with bomb-making materials and a loaded handgun, as well as documents connecting the devices to Chmurny, who once lived nearby.

In 2000, Chmurmy poured mercury into the vents of a co-worker’s car. The victim was not hurt.

“We are glad that these dangerous materials were discovered and could be destroyed safely,” State Fire Marshal Brian Geraci said in a statement. “It was quite a surprise to learn they were connected to an old criminal stalking case in which a woman could have been seriously harmed.”