Colorado Springs man arrested in connection to recent blast; police say he could be involved in others
A Colorado Springs man with a history of using explosive devices and serving prison time for his activity has again been arrested, according to a news release Tuesday.
Edward Kiley, 69, was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of causing an explosion on Jan. 12 near Costilla and El Paso streets, which is just east of downtown.
On Jan. 13, the day after the explosion, officers were dispatched to the 500 block of Costilla for “suspicious circumstances,” and located suspected explosive device parts. Six days later, on Jan. 19, a search warrant was executed at a home in the 700 block of East Vermijo Avenue. On Jan.22, an arrest warrant was issued for Kiley.
Multiple people in the area caught footage of the January explosion on doorbell cameras, including Tracy Dodson, who says the blast shook his house in the Hillside neighborhood. A Nest video that he provided to police and shared with The Gazette shows a bright flash, followed by a thunderous boom at 10:10 p.m. outside his home.
A Nest camera at the home of Colorado Springs resident Tracy Dodson captures the flash and thunderous boom from an explosion on Jan. 12, 2024.
The blast follows similar reports of an explosion that was reported around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 26. People in multiple neighborhoods, including the Hillside, Shooks Run, Divine Redeemer, Knob Hill, Patty Jewett and Palmer Park areas reported hearing the blast.
Officers investigating the explosion that night were led to the 200 block of North Logan Avenue, where they found a “suspicious object” that had been on fire.
Nextdoor users have reported experiencing similar incidents in the area for months, including Monica Hobbs, who lives near Colorado College. She says she experienced two explosions, the one widely reported in November and another on Jan. 18, when a loud, whistling sound woke her up shortly after 1 a.m. The sound was followed by a flash and a loud boom, which was recorded by a Nest camera pointed toward her porch.
Some Nextdoor postings about unexplained explosions date back to December 2022.
Only one reported explosion has been linked to the suspect. He was booked into county jail on Tuesday on charges of first degree arson, possession or manufacturing of an explosive or incendiary device, criminal mischief and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
The Colorado Springs Police Department says investigators have reason to believe that Kiley, who was sentenced to prison twice before for crimes involving explosives, could be involved with other explosions.
Kiley was sentenced in May 2018 to six years in prison, the result of a plea bargain in which he admitted to making a marijuana concentrate/hazardous extract, a felony. The case involved a blast earlier in 2018 in the 700 block of East Vermijo Avenue that startled his neighbors.
Although Kiley told police someone had tossed something through his window, their search uncovered marijuana concentrate residue, an unspecified amount of marijuana and five empty butane cans, authorities said. In Kiley’s car, police said, they also found a “possible pipe bomb” and what looked like an M-Series explosive device, records show.
In 2012, Kiley drew headlines for his interest in homemade bombs. After neighbors reported explosions so forceful that they shook neighboring homes, Kiley was charged with 10 counts of possessing explosive devices and other charges carrying the potential for up to 60 years in prison.
Kiley, who told police the blasts were the result of accidents while making homemade fireworks, ultimately was sentenced to four years in prison under a plea bargain that tossed many of the charges against him.
During his 2013 sentencing hearing, neighbors defended him as a well-liked eccentric and handyman who kept a close watch over his neighbors, especially the elderly. Prosecutors cited a criminal history including armed robbery and vehicular homicide stemming from a 1992 drunken-driving crash in Connecticut that killed a 27-year-old physician on her way to an emergency call. That case later resulted in a $61.8 million civil judgment against Kiley.
Anyone with information about recent explosions can call police at 719-444-7000 or remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at 719-634-STOP (7867).
Edward Kiley