Authorities said Friday they had found another explosive device on the property where a 39-year-old Army veteran with a history of mental problems died in a garage explosion.
But they said they still did not know for certain what had caused Thursday’s blast and cautioned that there was still no proof linking Richard Dean White to Sunday’s bombing of the First Assembly of God Church, which injured 34 worshipers.
“The end of this won’t be until we can positively say that this is exactly what happened,” said Gene Marlin, acting director of the Illinois State Police. “I’d be hesitant to even call the guy a suspect.”
In interviews and records, White emerged as a solitary and troubled figure who appeared to spend time in both Illinois and Florida and who had sought treatment for mental illness.
White had been living under the alias Richard Shotts for several years, officials said. Because of his criminal history and problems with his gun permit, he had been on a list of people to contact in the church bombing investigation.
Officials were pulling up to White’s home late Thursday afternoon, planning to question him, when an explosion in his garage killed him. Investigators said that earlier in the day, they had called White and told his grandmother that they planned to stop by.
On Friday, First Assembly of God Pastor Dennis Rogers cautioned residents not to convict White in their minds.
“When we see somebody is dead, we don’t feel that way,” added the children’s pastor at the church, Mark List. “We are compassionate people.”
List said that about five years ago, White attended church services there sporadically for about a year. Other congregation members, who asked not to be identified, said that White acted strangely at the services, remaining quiet and withdrawn throughout.
Weighing a reported 300 pounds, he was described as melancholy by neighbors who said they often saw him walking a large, white dog.
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Sue Sanders, who lives a few houses down, said, “I could always tell something was wrong with that man. He always looked like he was in a depressed state.”
Vermilion County records show that in 1987, White pleaded guilty to auto theft, a Class 3 felony, and was sentenced to two years’ probation. The same year, his state Firearms Owners Identification card was revoked after he was arrested for unlawful use of a weapon, according to state police spokesman Mark McDonald.
Also in 1987, White began receiving treatment at the Danville Veterans Hospital, according to hospital spokesmen. He last received outpatient treatment there in February, for what law-enforcement authorities said was mental illness.
In 1991, White received traffic citations in Florida and listed his address as a trailer park in the Miami area, according to records from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. He also received tickets in that area in 1996 and 1997, according to Florida authorities.
For the first time Friday, authorities disclosed that the bomb that exploded during Sunday services at the church was a crude device, likely a pipe bomb.
Authorities continued to keep residents out of the area surrounding White’s home, but they were expected to allow them to return by Saturday.