FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) -- A man admitted in court that he detonated pipe bombs outside two credit union offices as a diversion while he robbed a nearby Meijer store.
Thomas B. Hansen, 45, pleaded guilty Thursday in Allen Superior Court to two counts of arson and one count of robbery. As part of his plea agreement, he faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 5.
Hansen admitted he made the pipe bombs himself, set them outside the credit unions and detonated them to create a distraction during the robbery of the Meijer store on Dec. 18, 1999. When the bombs went off, Hansen entered the store and brandished a starter pistol while demanding money from employees, he testified.
He was charged in the robbery in August 2001 but was only recently arrested and brought back to Allen County from the Lucas County Jail in Toledo, Ohio, where he had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for robbing a Toledo-area Meijer. He also is accused of robbing a Meijer in South Bend.
Police said Hansen will serve his sentence in Ohio before he goes to prison in Indiana.
Information from: The Journal Gazette
