Calaveras EnterpriseFront Page Local News School News Club News Business News Sports Crime Obituaries Multimedia Place an Ad Online Lodestar Magazine Photo Galleries Columns Letters to the Editor Submit a Letter Announcements Monday, November 24, 2008 News | Sports | Classifieds | Calendar | Special Sections | Opinion | Contact Us | Local Links | Real Estate | Autos and RVs | Groceries News Obits Advanced Search • Archives E-Edition E-Edition Log In News Man found with weapons cache to challenge search warrant By Joel Metzger Email this story | Print this story Posted: Monday, November 24, 2008 12:18 PM CST A Mokelumne Hill man accused of stockpiling illegal weapons will stay in jail for now while attorneys argue over whether he is competent to stand trial. Donovan D. Agasi, 36, was taken into custody Sept. 26 by the Calaveras County Special Weapons and Tactics team and has been in jail or hospitalized since, according to the Sheriff’s Department. He was arrested after deputies investigating an improvised explosive device found on a pickup truck in San Andreas linked the device to Agasi and searched his home. There they found 48 weapons, including a loaded semiautomatic rifle, several explosive devices, 12 swords and knives, 11 daggers, six shurikens (metal throwing stars), three sets of nanchuku, three metal knuckles with spikes or knives attached, three throwing spikes, three stiletto switchblades, two blow dart guns with seven darts, one container of crowd-suppressant gas and one weapon silencer. According to court records, some of the items in the residence could be used in the making of a destructive device, including pellets in canisters, carbon dioxide cartridges, .454 roundball ammunition, steel wool, wiring components such as garage door openers and motion sensors, shotgun primers, an unknown type of black powder and black electrical tape. They also found an “Explosives and Propellant” book and a “Fireworks at Home Kitchen Stealth Technology” book. Tony Montauve, a county bomb squad member, examined seven black cylindrical containers found at the house and determined that they contained an unknown explosive. Court records state that Heather Cammisa, a sheriff’s detective, contacted the jail in order to speak with Agasi a couple of days after his arrest. She was informed that he was extremely uncooperative and agitated and had attempted to asphyxiate himself shortly after his arrival. In order to avert a potential suicide, Agasi was placed in a padded cell and Cammisa was advised that she could speak with him through the door. According to Cammisa’s report, Agasi made several statements denying the fact that he had put an explosive on anybody’s vehicle. He further denied ever making the device and said that he knew who the “snitch” was. Agasi began talking about taking his own life, and said he would do it as soon as he got the chance. He then became unresponsive to questioning, Cammisa wrote. Agasi is charged with possessing materials with intent to make a destructive device, two counts of possessing a destructive device, three counts of possessing an illegal weapon, possessing a silencer and illegal possession of a firearm, according to court records. Gerald M. Osmer of Murphys, Agasi’s attorney, stated that his client would plead not guilty to all charges, saying, “They (the district attorney’s office) have to prove everything beyond a reasonable doubt, and we are going to make them do that.” Superior Court Judge Douglas V. Mewhinney ordered that Agasi be examined by Dr. Gary L. Cavanaugh, a psychiatrist, of Stockton. Cavanaugh concluded that Agasi was not mentally competent in a report presented in court last week. Osmer disagreed, saying “I have met with him three times now, and I do believe he is competent.” He plans to exercise his client’s right to get a second medical opinion as to Agasi’s competence. “Time may heal this wound,” Osmer said of Agasi. “He should be just fine within six to 12” weeks. In Monday’s court appearance, Osmer petitioned the court to release the name of an unnamed informant who contributed information leading to the issuance of a search warrant of Agasi’s home. “We were told that the suspect (Agasi) was suspected of manufacturing a destructive device used in a crime,” Calaveras County Sheriff’s Deputy Phil Ross said. Agasi’s father told investigators that his son had been committed to a mental health facility in St. Helena as recently as July 2006. Agasi does not have the option to post bail due to the fact that if a person is deemed (or feared) to have a mental disorder that makes them a danger to himself or others, their bail will be denied. He will next appear in court Dec. 2 for a decision on whether the court will allow the unnamed informant to be revealed. Contact Joel Metzger at jmetzger@calaverasenterprise.com. Comment (No comments posted.) Comments are posted after review by the Web master. They represent the opinion of the commenting party. While we encourage them as a way to further community discussion of important public topics, we reserve the right to reject or edit them. How do I find my comments later? Articles change daily on our Web site. Please make a note of the title of the article you have commented on. If you wish to read other people comments, once the article is taken down, do an archive search by title to locate the comments that apply to that story. We appreciate your comments and participation on our Web site. Please refrain from attaching links that go to unrelated sites as these will not be posted. 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