The Shadow
CLEVELAND (AP) – A former doctor who practiced medicine in Ohio and West Virginia has admitted to making pipe bombs that were part of an arsenal seized at his apartment after two explosions, federal agents say.
An affidavit filed in federal court in Akron said Mark Campano told an FBI agent that he “did indeed” build the pipe bombs found this week at his apartment in Cuyahoga Falls.
Neither Campano nor the FBI agent who talked to him described a motive or possible target in the affidavit, which was filed late Wednesday.
His defense attorney, Donald Hicks, said Friday that he had no comment. A woman who answered the phone at a number provided to police by Campano said she was a housekeeper and could not provide a family contact.
The two-page affidavit didn’t reflect all the information gathered by investigators, wrote Donald J. Guerra, an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Copper-based pipe bombs found at the apartment were consistent with the explosion debris, Guerra said. PVC piping, as well as explosive powder, hobby fuse, pipes and end caps found at the apartment, is commonly used to make pipe bombs, he said.
Authorities took Campano into custody after an explosion rocked his apartment complex Monday night. Police said he was attempting to load shotgun shells when one blew up.
The 56-year-old Campano, a former anesthesiologist, has a history of substance abuse dating to 1987, according to state medical board records. His Ohio medical license was revoked in 2006.
He completed a drug treatment program in the late 1980s, according to Ohio medical board records. He moved to West Virginia and practiced medicine there until he gave up his license in 1993 when he had a relapse involving drugs and alcohol.
Campano sought treatment again and was found to have major depression, alcohol dependency, and drug abuse, records show.
West Virginia medical board records show Campano attended medical school at Ohio’s Wright State University and did additional training at hospitals in Akron and Miami.
Campano was charged Wednesday with one count of unlawful possession of a pipe bomb. He agreed to waive a preliminary hearing and bond hearing.
About 35 pipe bombs, an assortment of firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found in the apartment after two loud explosions. Other apartments were evacuated, but no one else was hurt.
Campano told an officer that he was trying to load shotgun shells when one blew up in his hands, according to a police report. He was taken to an Akron hospital with severe injuries to his left hand and arm. After he was released Wednesday, he was taken to court.
