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Petaluma Man Held on $1 Million Bail After Explosive Cache Found in Sonoma Arson Case

The discovery of homemade bombs alongside narcotics raises public safety concerns in a region still on edge after severe wildfire seasons.

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The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office on Thursday said deputies arrested a 43-year-old Petaluma man after investigators discovered explosives and drugs at his home.
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Overview

  • Deputies first detained 43-year-old Gregory Klemme on July 29 after a fire broke out on federal Bureau of Land Management forest land along Pine Flat Road east of Geyserville.
  • Cal Fire investigators later tied materials recovered at the scene and from the suspect’s vehicle to homemade explosives.
  • A multi-agency search warrant executed on July 31 at Klemme’s Petaluma home yielded pounds of explosive precursor chemicals, three improvised devices and methamphetamine with paraphernalia.
  • The Sonoma County Bomb Squad joined sheriff’s detectives, Cal Fire and federal BLM agents to carry out the residential search.
  • Klemme now faces multiple felony counts and remains jailed on a $1 million bail enhancement as authorities continue assessing the full extent of the explosive cache.