Oakhurst man arrested for Bass Lake Courthouse explosion

OAKHURST – A man on parole has been arrested in connection to an explosion last week at the Madera County Courthouse in Bass Lake.

William Shannon Reed

The explosion occurred on Aug. 14 around 4:30 a.m. at the courthouse located on Rd. 274. The blast shattered the glass doors in the back of the courthouse, charred the door frame and damaged the paint. No one was at the courthouse at the time of the explosion.

“The courthouse was not open for business at the time,” said Karen Guillemin with Cal Fire.

People who heard the blast called authorities. By the time the Madera County Sheriff’s Department and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection showed up to the scene. the fire was already out. Detectives discovered that the explosion occurred from what they called an “incendiary device.”

At around 10 a.m. the same day, a newspaper and television station received threats that another bomb would go off at the court that day. The courthouse was evacuated and a bomb-sniffing dog was taken in to clear the building. No bombs or explosive devices were found in the building.

Deputies received several tips and leads during their investigation, which eventually led them to name 42-year-old William Shannon Reed as a suspect for both the explosion and the threats.

Deputies were able to arrest Reed on Tuesday just after 1 p.m. near Dale Lane and Road 426 in Oakhurst. He was standing by a stolen truck with a flat tire when he was arrested. Reed, a parolee, was also found to be in possession of methamphetamine when he was apprehended.

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