A 24-year-old man with a Vancouver connection was arrested in Portland on Monday for his alleged ties to an explosion in Portland’s Argay Terrace neighborhood on Saturday.
Jake Swingle has been booked into the Multnomah County Jail on suspicion of first-degree arson, unlawful manufacturing and possession of an explosive device and unlawful use of a weapon, according to a Portland Police Bureau news release.
PPB reported that the Vancouver Police Department and Clark County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation. Swingle has in the past lived in Clark County; it’s unknown where he currently resides, said Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp.
Officers and firefighters responded to the 3800 block of Northeast 141st Drive for reports of an explosion near a recreational vehicle.
Portland Fire & Rescue crews found smoke coming from the vehicle. Firefighters forced their way inside to check for victims and to extinguish any fire.
Law enforcement spotted a storage compartment located in a rear outer panel of the RV that appeared to be blown apart by a possible explosive device, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said in its own release.
“The damage to the RV was described as small fragments of cardboard, insulation, plastic, and the metal compartment was deformed as it would be from an explosion. The Portland Fire & Rescue Investigator also noted the rear bumper of the RV was broken in half from the blast,” the district attorney’s office said.
The owner of the RV told investigators someone named “Jake” was seen in the area just before the explosion, according to the district attorney.
Swingle was identified as the suspect, according to PPB. The district attorney said that Swingle placed a pipe bomb in the rear of the recreational vehicle. Swingle and the owner of the vehicle have been involved in an ongoing conflict, officials said.
Someone contacted law enforcement Monday with information about Swingle, including a last known address, and provided a detective and a bomb technician assigned to the case with a video showing an alleged “bomb-making factory” associated with Swingle’s residence, according to the district attorney.
That same day, detectives served an arrest warrant and search warrants related to the explosion. Swingle was arrested in Northeast Portland. Police searched locations in Portland and Vancouver.
The Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit helped with the search warrants, given the nature of the incident.
