4 MSU students face felonies for setting off explosive

Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News

East Lansing -- Four Michigan State University freshmen face 20-year felonies after police say they detonated a commercial-grade explosive Sunday at a home on the 400 block of Grove Street.

Olivia M. Hudson of Okemos, Darby D. Dudley of Mason, Sasha N. Savage of Okemos and Nikolai E. Wasielewski of Rossford, Ohio, have been charged with placing explosives and causing property damage, and possession of bombs with unlawful intent -- causing property damage.

East Lansing 54-B District Court Judge Richard Ball arraigned the suspects, all 18 years old, on Monday. All were released on $2,500 cash bond. If convicted of the charges, they each face up to 20 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine.

A hearing is set for Nov. 10 and a preliminary exam on Nov. 13.

Late Sunday, the explosive -- a type of firework used for large municipal displays -- was intentionally thrown at a home on Grove, less than one block from the East Lansing Police Department, police said.

"It was thrown in the direction of a specific address," East Lansing Police Capt. Tom Johnstone said. "Officers on duty heard the explosion and went in the direction of the smoke."

Johnstone would not speculate why the device was thrown at the home.

Michigan State University Police arrested the suspects in the parking lot of East Holden Hall, where three of them reside, MSU Police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said. A fourth suspect lives in nearby West Wilson Hall, she said.

Witnesses told officers they could feel the force of the blast across the street from where the explosive was detonated, Johnstone said.

MSU police officers found two additional explosive devices in the suspects' vehicle during the arrest, McGlothian-Taylor said. In order to purchase them, a person needs a license, she said.

The devices had been modified so they would explode more quickly, Johnstone said. Typically, the devices would be shot into the air from a steel tube and would need several seconds to reach a safe height to explode.

The devices are strong enough to seriously injure or kill a person, McGlothian-Taylor said. Johnstone said there was a spate of similar instances in the city this summer, involving the same type of devices. In one case, a three-foot hole was blown out of a steel trash bin, he said.

Police do not believe the four suspects were involved in those cases. The suspects were caught about 12:05 a.m. Monday, 10 minutes after detonating the device, Johnstone said.

sesparza@detnews.com (313) 222-2320