Investigators Charge Pair With Plotting Hemet Police Attacks

Two men suspected of placing booby-traps that were designed — but failed — to kill Hemet police officers were charged today with attempted murder and a slew of other felonies.

Nicholas John Smit, 39, of Hemet, and Steven Hanson, 36, of Homeland, were arrested Friday on suspicion of committing a series of crimes that began at the end of last year.

“At last, our long nightmare is over,” Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco said. “These two individuals will be in the state prison system until they draw their last breaths.”

Smit is charged with three counts of attempted murder of a peace officer, two counts each of assembling and placing a booby trap and being in possession of a zip gun, as well as conspiracy to commit murder of a peace officer, attempting to ignite a destructive device with the intent to kill, and enhancements for allegedly having a rocket-propelled device and discharging a firearm.

Hansen is charged with one count each of attempted murder of a peace officer, conspiring to murder a peace officer and attempting to ignite a destructive device with the intent to kill, as well as parole violations.

Both men were being held without bail, with arraignment scheduled tomorrow at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Smit could receive multiple life sentences if convicted, and Hansen would face 30 years to life, according to Pacheco.

They were taken into custody following a multi-agency investigation that included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI.

“I’m so happy to say the bad guys are in custody,” said Hemet police Chief Richard Dana.

He said the fear and anxiety spawned by the attacks had made him wary of going more than 50 miles from the city, lest he be too far away if another incident occurred.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 46 years in the business,” the chief said.

Smit and Hansen were linked by tips and evidence to four of the seven attacks, Pacheco said, cautioning that the investigation was not over and additional charges and arrests may be forthcoming.

Two Hemet police officers were named in the criminal complaint as victims: Sgt. Matthew Hess and Detective Chuck Johnson.

Pacheco said the latter arrested Smit in June 2009 on drug charges. The defendant was cultivating marijuana on his property and pleaded guilty last month to possession of marijuana with intent to sell, as well as being in possession of controlled substances and being armed during a drug offense.

He was expected to receive a three-year prison term — his first time in state custody, according to Pacheco.

Hansen was paroled from prison in March after serving time for arson.

The district attorney alleged the defendants conducted “extensive surveillance” on Johnson and knew “where he lived, his habits, his travels.”

“I have never seen … this kind of surveillance done by a private individual on law enforcement,” Pacheco said.

He said there was no evidence of a gang conspiracy, though he did suggest the defendants had loose ties to area white supremacist groups.

In March, local, state and federal authorities conducted a four-state crackdown on members of the Vagos motorcycle club, which has its roots in the Hemet area.

Though denying the sweep had any direct connection to the Hemet attacks, Pacheco said that operation “assisted us in some way” with narrowing down the list of potential suspects.

There was no mention at today’s news conference of the discovery Tuesday of a suspicious device found attached to a Hemet patrol car, which Lt. Duane Wisehart said could have been rigged “at any time in the last 60 days.”

According to authorities, Smit and Hansen, whom Pacheco described as friends, were tied to a June 4 failed rocket attack on the Hemet Police Station.

The men allegedly climbed the roof of a grocery store across the street and tried to fire a bazooka missile into the station, but the projectile fizzled out, landing in a trash heap and igniting a fire.

Smit alone is suspected of rigging a zip gun to Johnson’s patrol unit on March 5. The potentially deadly device did not fire and was found dangling underneath the unmarked vehicle.

The defendant also allegedly placed a zip gun on a gate at the task force’s headquarters on Feb. 23. The device was triggered when Hess opened the gate, firing a bullet that narrowly missed him, according to investigators.

The crimes began with a New Year’s Eve 2009 attempt to blow up the Hemet- San Jacinto gang task force’s building by rerouting a natural gas line into the facility. A spark could have ignited the gas, but the set-up was discovered in time.

“We could have lost seven or eight people,” Dana said.

That attack remains under investigation, along with the following:

— a June 28 arson fire that damaged a Hemet police evidence storage facility;

— an April 12 fire at the Hemet police shooting range; and

— a March 23 fire that destroyed four city code enforcement vehicles.

A $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever’s responsible for the attacks remains active.

News Channel 3 has a crew at the news conference, which started at 11am. Stay with us for the latest developments and video from the meeting.