An attorney for San Diego County said Wednesday that an official response to a $500,000 claim filed on behalf of the owner of the so-called "bomb house" in Escondido should come within a couple of weeks.
A lawyer for the owner of the residence at 1954 Via Scott filed the claim via e-mail on Dec. 15, said Senior Deputy County Counsel Thomas Bunton. A claim is a prelude to a lawsuit against a government entity, and they are usually rejected.
The residence in the north end of Escondido near Interstate 15 was rented to George Jakubec, who allegedly stockpiled a huge amount of homemade explosives.
Because the explosives were of an unstable type used in terrorist plots, county officials deemed the property too dangerous to simply clean up, so they ordered the house to be burnt to the ground -- which was done on Dec. 9.
Neighbors were kept out of nearby homes for several weeks, and about six dozen residences were evacuated on the day the cache was incinerated.
Jakubec, a 54-year-old native of Serbia, was booked on weapons and bank robbery charges.
"We've had the claim for awhile, so I think we'll have an official response in a couple of weeks," Bunton said, adding that his office was "not surprised" by the action.
The ultimate decision whether to accept or deny the claim will be up to the Board of Supervisors.
Steven McKinley, a lawyer for the owner of the house, Michele Holt, did not immediately return a telephone message from City News Service.
Jakubec's activities came to light on Nov. 18, when a landscaper, 49-year-old Mario Garcia of Fallbrook, stepped on and detonated an explosive substance, causing serious injuries that put him in a hospital.
Authorities said about nine pounds of explosive compounds were found in glass jars, some of which had spilled to the floor in a house cluttered with piles of boxes, books, tools, plastic bottles, electronic components and other clutter.
No motive for Jakubec's alleged creation of the explosive materials has been revealed.
Both the county and state cleared the way for the destruction of the house by declaring local emergencies.
