Apr 30, 2008 6:33 pm US/Eastern
Bail Denied For Man Behind Balt. Co. Mystery
PIKESVILLE, Md. (WJZ) ―
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A judge has denied bail to Frederick Mackler, who police blame for the loud blasts disturbing his neighbors for years.
A judge has denied bail to the Pikesville man police blame for the loud blasts disturbing his neighbors for years.
It's a story you heard here first and only
Eyewitness News has the police video that helped solve the case.
Derek Valcourt has more on the court hearing and details on what police say they found in the suspect's home.
There are a lot of bizarre twists in this story. The judge said he was worried Wednesday, based on the evidence, that if Frederick Mackler got out of jail, he'd blow up the neighborhood.
Exclusive video shows what neighbors in Pikesville had been complaining about for years. Now police say that loud blast and bright flash of light was caused by a bird banger, a small firearm that shoots pyrotechnics in order to scare away birds.
Instead, police say 59-year-old Frederick Mackler was using them in the middle of the night to scare neighbors he didn't like.
"That's what he's telling us is the truth. We don't know, but we'll accept it as truth. That's the only motive we can find," said Cpl. Mike Hill with Baltimore County Police.
Police say Mackler confessed to the blasts and gave them permission to search his home on the fourth floor of the Stevenson Commons condominium building.
According to court charging documents, police found 12 handguns, an Uzi submachine gun, a .223 rifle, two shotguns, 200 rounds of pyrotechnics, six ounces of cocaine and one ounce of marijuana inside.
Defense attorneys had nothing to say outside of court but inside, they told the judge Mackler was chronically depressed and crying out for help.
Prosecutor Kristin Blumer argued Mackler, who also has a home in Costa Rica, was a flight risk and a potential danger.
"This is a grave situation for this community, putting them in a large amount of fear and especially now that he has been arrested and identified as the person responsible for the blasts. There is concern there. I know that they are in fear and we don't want them to feel fear for him being on the street," she said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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