Weston Parks Supervisor Indicted on Explosives Charges

WOBURN, MA -- A 53-year-old Maynard man has been indicted on charges that he left a homemade explosive device on the front porch of a Demars Street home and a hoax device at another Maynard home.

William C. O’Neil, a supervisor of the Parks & Cemeteries Department for the Town of Weston, was indicted Thursday on charges of possession of an explosive device, throwing explosives and possession of a hoax incendiary device.

No arraignment date has been scheduled yet in Middlesex Superior Court.

Maynard police report that on Feb. 20 officers responded to Demars Street after a homeowner called 911 reporting a suspicious package on his front porch.

After an on-scene assessment, the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad successfully disassembled the device and deemed the area safe.

That incident was similar to what police allege was a hoax device left at a Walcott Street home on Oct. 29, 2016, police allege.

During a subsequent investigation, conducted by Maynard Police and State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, officials were allegedly able to match a fingerprint on the device to the defendant.