Blaine couple charged in connection with explosion at apartment complex

Pioneer Press
·3 min read

A couple is facing criminal charges in connection with an apartment explosion in Blaine last March.

Lee John Boatner, 28, and Tayler Ann Boatner, 27, were charged in Anoka County District Court with felony explosive/incendiary device violations as well as endangerment of a child.

According to the criminal charges, Blaine police were called March 3 to an apartment complex at 1145 116 Ave. N.E. after a report of an explosion or gunshot. Officers arrived to find Lee John Boatner covered in blood and he “appeared to be missing parts of both of his hands.” Responders administered tourniquets to control bleeding.

Tayler Ann Boatner was found holding her 3-year-old son. She had lacerations to her face and was taken to a hospital. The son had a bandage on his arm that appeared to be a burn. It was later believed to be caused by sulfuric acid and required medical attention, according to the complaint.

Bomb squad

The Minneapolis Police Bomb Squad and agents with the ATF later arrived and determined a substance found in the couple’s apartment to be triacetone triperoxide or “TATP,” according to the charges. Authorities concluded that a large explosion had occurred in a bedroom which had traces of bone matter, spattered blood and a broken window.

While Lee John Boatner told responders at the scene that a battery had exploded, “there no evidence of a battery explosion,” according to the charges.

However, in the kitchen authorities recovered an unknown crystal-like substance in a glass that was later determined to be TATP. According to the bomb technicians, TATP is an explosive that can be created with household chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide. There were several bottles of hydrogen peroxide in the bedroom and another one in a kitchen cabinet. Acetone and acid — other ingredients for TATP — also were found in the apartment, according to the charges.

Authorities later found evidence the couple had recently purchased peroxide and “Onyx” acetone during trips to a Walmart story, according to the charges.

Charges: Husband liked to ‘fix’ things

In interviews, Tayler Ann Boatner told authorities her husband liked to “fix” things. She claimed the burn on her son’s arm was caused by drain cleaner the previous week, according to the charges.

When authorities asked her about explosives, she “would evade questions or remain quiet,” according to the charges. She said neither she nor her husband was employed and that they spent whole days at the apartment.

The child has been released to family members, according to Blaine police.

Meanwhile, the charges indicate that police obtained a search warrant for Lee John Boatner’s laptop and found searches for acetone and how to “use TATP as a deonator” for ammonium nitrate fuel oil.

From Jan. 23 they found searches for “Blaine water table,” “Poisoning ground water,” “Anoka county gis sewer,” “(M)inneapolis interceptor drain,” and “Buried Exolosion (sic),” according to the charges.

The case has been forwarded to the FBI for additional investigation.

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