Campbell police stop man, find pipe bomb

Police say Paul Trimacco, 32, had this 14-inch pipe bomb in his car when he was pulled over Monday.

CAMPBELL — An area man is in custody after a traffic stop involving a pipe bomb.

According to Campbell Police Chief Drew Rauzan, officers stopped Paul Trimacco, 32, Monday night on Wilson Avenue for failing to stop at a stop sign on Madison Avenue at Wilson Avenue.

After a brief investigation, officers discovered that Trimacco’s driver’s license was under suspension. Trimacco was then arrested, handcuffed and placed in the rear seat of the Campbell police cruiser.

Upon searching Trimacco’s vehicle, police found a 14-inch plastic PVC pipe with capped ends and wiring attached to it.

When questioned, Trimacco told the officers that the pipe was a homemade improvised explosive device containing about “a stick and a half of dynamite” worth of black power, according to Rauzan’s press release.

Campbell officers then proceeded to secure the surrounding area while contacting the Youngstown Bomb Squad to properly dispose of the improvised explosive device. Youngstown Lt. Doug Bobovnyk responded to the scene, recovered the device and transported it away where it will be disposed of in a controlled setting.

After receiving consent from Trimacco and his girlfriend, Campbell officers then proceeded to search Trimacco’s 16th Street address to ensure that no other evidence of illegal explosive devices or dangerous ordinances existed that may be a further danger to the city. Campbell officers discovered nothing at Trimacco’s residence that indicated he was manufacturing explosive devices inside his home. But they discovered 131 rounds of .223 ammunition, which can be used in semi-automatic assault rifles such as the AR-15.

Trimacco appeared in Campbell Municipal Court on Tuesday March 4, for charges of unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance and failure to secure the dangerous ordnance. Bond was set at $248,500, 10 percent cash or surety, for the fifth-degree felony possession charge, and at $1,500, 10 percent cash or surety, for the failure-to-secure charge. Trimacco’s other charges of driving under suspension and failing to stop at a stop sign received no additional bond. He entered no plea for the felony charge and pleaded not-guilty to the rest. He will next appear in court Friday at 9 a.m.

This isn’t Trimacco’s first bizarre scuffle with the law.

Police arrested Trimacco in September on charges of inducing panic, falsification of evidence and endangering children after he claimed he was shot when his home was burglarized. As it turns out, he made up the story to hide the fact that he shot himself while testing a flak jacket.