Texas Plant Blast Paramedic Bryce Reed Arrested as Criminal with Bomb - Spoke at Memorial

 A paramedic in West, Texas, has been arrested for possession of an explosive device, a federal official said on Friday, but it was not immediately clear whether there was a connection to a deadly explosion last month at a fertilizer plant in the town.

Texas officials also announced on Friday that they had opened a criminal investigation into the April 17 explosion that killed 14 people and injured about 200 others.

The man arrested was Bryce Reed, said Franceska Perot, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

A source familiar with the matter said it was not clear that the arrest was linked to the blast at West Fertilizer Co.

"I don't know that they're making that connection," said the source, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the news media.

An employee at McLennan County Jail, who asked not to be identified, said Reed, 31, was brought to the jail at 2 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) and handed over to federal agents at 8 a.m. (1300 GMT).

A call to Reed's cell phone went straight to voicemail on Friday. Reed's wife, Brittany, said in a text message Friday that she could not comment.

The state fire marshal's office has said that ammonium nitrate stored at the plant detonated in the explosion but that the cause of the fire and blast were still being investigated.

Bryce and Brittany Reed told Reuters last month that they were listening to music at their home when they heard the town's siren and jumped into their truck to warn people nearby.

"Get your kids and go!" the couple said they yelled at residents of an apartment complex near the plant. They said they were about 50 to 75 yards from the plant when the blast rocked their car.

Bryce Reed said that his home was destroyed and that he lost his best friend, volunteer firefighter Cyrus Reed, in the blast. The two are not related, but were so close they considered each other brothers, Bryce Reed said at the time.

Read More... http://news.yahoo.com/west-texas-paramedic-arrested-unclear-related-blast-source-145439395.html

People Start to File Lawsuits Against West Fertilizer Owner for Negligence

Lawsuit against the owner of the West, Texas fertilizer plant that exploded and destroyed much of the community.

Adair Grain Inc., the parent of West Fertilizer Co., are Acadia Insurance Company, Continental Western Insurance Company, and Union Standard Insurance Company and Union Standard Lloyds, according to the suit. The companies insure individuals, churches and businesses affected by the massive blast April 17.

A Berkley spokesperson says the company had no comment, but according to the suit filed in McLennon County district court, Acadia insured a bank; Continental Western insured a car dealership; Union Standard Lloyds wrote a TV and appliance business, an auto supply store and a bakery; and Union Standard Insurance covered two churches and an inn.

The Berkley companies allege negligence in the operation of the facility, a fertilizer retailer. They say shockwaves, debris and flammeable material "caused severe damages" to the policyholders' properties and businesses.

"[Adair's] negligent act and omissions were the proximate cause of the explosion that resulted in damages to the plaintiffs," reads the lawsuit.

According to the latest tally from the Insurance Council of Texas, the number of homes destroyed has climbed to 140.

A school, a retirement home and an apartment complex were also heavily damaged.

Fifteen people died as a result of the blast and up to 200 people were injured.

A single mom, who with her young son "lost all their worldly possessions" in the fertilizer plant explosion that devastated West, Texas, is among the first people to sue the plant's owner.  Andrea Jones Gutierrez filed a lawsuit against Adair Grain on Monday. She is seeking up to $1 million.

A grandmother who was injured in the West explosion has filed a lawsuit against Adair Grain, Inc, saying the company who owned the plant showed, "conscious indifference," to local residents in the way it stored and handled dangerous materials.

Sources... http://www.kcentv.com/ , http://www.propertycasualty360.com/ , http://usnews.nbcnews.com/ ,