Ala. sheriff recounts final moments at bunker

March 7, 2013 @ 1:58 pm


FILE -- In this photo taken Feb. 8, 2013, authorities continue their investigation at the site in Midland City, Ala., where a five year old boy was held hostage in an underground bunker. Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson on Thursday, March 7, 2013 said officers stormed the bunker because the man had told them something "real, real bad" was going to happen if they didn't meet his demands. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File) | Zoom

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama man who held a boy hostage in a bunker warned authorities some "very bad things" would happen if they didn't meet his demands, a sheriff said Thursday, shedding more light on the final moments of the standoff.

Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said Jimmy Lee Dykes had two homemade explosives devices and authorities were worried he would set them off and kill the then-5-year-old boy. Officers raided the bunker Feb. 4 after a weeklong standoff and shot Dykes to death. The boy was rescued unharmed.

Olson said investigators still weren't sure of Dykes' motive.

"He kept saying he had a story that was very important to him and that he wanted to get out his story. But we've never been able to find out exactly what his story was. He would never really give us any insights into that," said Olson, who spoke to reporters after he gave a speech on gun legislation to lawmakers.

Investigators were reviewing writings found on Dykes' property to see if they offered any explanation into why he kidnapped the boy off a school bus Jan. 29, the sheriff said.

Dykes killed bus driver Charles Poland and took the child to an underground bunker near his mobile home. He had two explosive devices. One was set off in a PVC pipe but didn't harm anyone because authorities covered it with sandbags. The other device was more threatening, the sheriff said.

"If he had detonated that device, it would have killed him," Olson said of the boy. "We felt like his life was definitely in harm's way."

Dykes had been planning the event for weeks and became friendly with the bus driver, even clearing out a place close to his property where Poland could turn the bus around on the dead-end street.

Officers communicated with Dykes from the beginning by using the PVC pipe that led to the bunker. The sheriff said Dykes initially appeared focused on the child's safety, but that changed as the days passed and negotiations deteriorated.

He said Dykes gave officers a deadline to do things or else "some bad things would happen." The sheriff wouldn't say want those demands were.

Authorities, including the FBI and Alabama Bureau of Investigation, had developed different plans about what to do if that moment arrived, and they decided to act, he said.

The 40-year-old sheriff, who has two young daughters, said he handled the tense days with his children always on his mind.

"I don't want to look like a big boob and start crying. Now I do love my children, and I could only imagine what it would be like if that would have been my child. That's why I tried to do everything possible I could to make sure we had a safe return," he said.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (3)


  • Add A Comment

  • CH wrote...
    take note republicans
    February 6, 2013 1:10 pm
    when you are in your rat hole, leave you guns on the ground!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cw1997 wrote...
    And That
    February 7, 2013 8:49 am
    Would be a problem WHY?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • calapete wrote...
    Thank you Jennifer
    February 13, 2013 1:36 pm
    Turn the other cheek. You are in inspiration.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }