Car bomb goes off in Cape; only one injured

People in the 1200 block of North Spanish Street awakened Sunday to an evacuation order as police investigated a car bomb in front of a residence.

David Wayne Salzmann, 44, was charged with assault of a law enforcement officer, unlawful possession of a weapon and violation of an order of protection after he detonated an explosive device inside a white Cadillac parked in front of his estranged wife's house, the Cape Girardeau Police Department reported.

Salzmann still was being treated Sunday evening for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a news release from the department.

Salzmann recently was served with an order of protection by his estranged wife, said Sgt. J.T. Selzer of the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Police received a call at 7:27 a.m. from someone at the house who reported Salzmann was outside, Selzer said.

"When the officer got out of his car, there was some type of a minor explosion inside the car," he said. "The husband attempted to commit suicide via some type of an explosive device. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries -- was unsuccessful in killing himself."

No one else was injured, Selzer said.

With help from the FBI, the Southeast Missouri Regional Bomb Squad and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, officers evacuated the block around the Cadillac and searched the neighborhood for other explosives, Selzer said.

"There's been no other devices found in the surrounding area," he said. "He made no other threats to anyone else that we know of."

Sunday's incident was not Salzmann's first run-in with law enforcement.

In 2010, Salzmann was given a suspended five-year sentence and placed on supervised probation for possession of chemicals with intent to manufacture a controlled substance, and in November 2011, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor third-degree assault and was ordered to pay a $300 fine and $116.50 in court costs.

Salzmann also had several orders of protection filed against him.

Online court records show that in July 2011, he was served with an order of protection in an adult abuse case involving his mother, Paula Salzmann, who appeared in court in November 2011 and stated she wanted to dismiss the matter.

In December 2009, he was served with orders of protection related to allegations of abuse involving his stepchildren and an adult who was not named in online court records.

On Sunday, neighbors reported seeing two investigators in protective gear and a robot at the scene of the explosion.

"Robot came first, left; one guy came in a bomb suit, left; now it's two guys," said Perry Long, who lives about a block away.

Neighbors heard a small explosion and saw smoke coming from the vehicle, Long said.

As neighbors milled around, public information officer Darin Hickey of the Cape Girardeau Police Department advised them that they might hear a pop as officers used a small charge to open the trunk of the car, but it was nothing to worry about. Moments later, a minor explosion could be heard.

Donna Lashley lives next door to the house where the Cadillac was parked.

"When I got up, I heard what sounded like four shots, and I looked out my window, and they were dragging a guy out of the car," she said. "A gurney came and got him, so I figured they took him to the hospital."

The activity came as a shock to the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

"It's not something we expect to see in this neighborhood," Lashley said. "This is something that happens in New York."

Kenny Foor; his wife, Elizabeth; and their 19-month-old son, Ben, live three doors down from the house where the car was parked.

The Foors were among those ordered to evacuate.

Elizabeth Foor said an officer came to her door about 8 a.m.

"He said, 'Ma'am, not to alarm you, but we need you to evacuate immediately,'" she said.

Teresa Hettenhouser lives just outside the evacuated area, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"I was scared. I went to my father's," she said. "If something blows up, who knows how much explosives they've got in there?"

Hettenhouser said she has lived in the neighborhood since 1998 and never has had any problems.

"Nobody ever bothers anybody up here," she said. "We all watch out for each other. We never have anything like this going on. ... You don't know what kind of crazies they are out here in this world."

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

1200 block of Spanish Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.