A Petaluma man identified in media reports as a former Stockton police officer was arrested by arson investigators after he was found to be in possession of homemade explosives.
Gregory Klemme, 43, was found on a road last week with the explosives, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. Then detectives, along with the sheriff’s bomb squad, searched Klemme’s home on Thursday.
They found several pounds of explosive precursor materials and three more completed explosive devices, according to the sheriff’s office. They also found controlled substances and drug paraphernalia in his bedroom. He was arrested a second time.
Klemme was identified as a former Stockton police officer in news reports by the San Francisco Chronicle and The Press Democrat of Santa Rosa. The Stockton Police Department’s Facebook page still includes a photo of a man with the same name being sworn on to the force by then-Chief Eric Jones in November 2012.
Sonoma County authorities say Klemme was arrested by Cal Fire investigators because the alleged arson incident occurred on Bureau of Land Management land, said Sonoma County Sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia.
He was arrested on a series of charges involving suspicion of possession of explosive materials and drugs. They included possession of destructive devices, materials for making destructive devices, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. He was booked into Sonoma County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
“These charges reflect the serious nature of Klemme’s actions and the potential danger he posed to the community,” Valencia wrote.