Homemade bomb removed from Rohnert Park golf course

A Rohnert Park man was arrested on suspicion of making an “acid bomb” that was found Saturday on the Foxtail Golf Club course, along with the remnants of another device that appeared to have been set off overnight, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety said.

Kevin Hornbuckle, 49, was arrested on suspicion of possessing and manufacturing a destructive device and was cooperating with investigators, the department said in a news release.

Hornbuckle identified the device as an “acid bomb,” which was ultimately destroyed by officers from the UC Berkeley Police Bomb Squad, the release said.

Police were called at about 9:40 a.m. after golf course workers found what they considered a homemade explosive device on the 18th fairway and took it to the course’s maintenance yard to get it away from golfers. Workers told police they had spotted the remnants in the same area.

The device consisted of a 2-liter plastic soda bottle containing muriatic acid, Sgt. Jacy Tatum said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define an acid bomb, or bottle bomb, as a device made from volatile household chemicals, such as toilet bowl or drain cleaners, combined with other ingredients and shaken in a capped container.

Internal gas pressure from the chemical reaction causes an explosion that can cause injuries or death to a person nearby, the agency’s website said.

Rohnert Park police secured the maintenance yard and called in the UC Berkeley bomb unit, which arrived about noon under terms of a standing agreement with the city.

Investigators located Hornbuckle following a canvass of the golf course area, Jacy said. Hornbuckle described the device and the information was relayed to the bomb squad.

The device was moved to the golf course driving range and destroyed, the release said. No damage to the golf course was reported, Tatum said.

The golf course manager, Nick Frisk, declined to comment and referred questions to his company’s corporate office, which he said was closed until Monday.

Rohnert Park police said that all devices had been accounted for and there was no threat to the public.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.