Crime Time

Doctor loses eye when car bomb critically injures him

Dr. Trent P. Pierce, the West Memphis, Ark., physician critically injured Wednesday when a bomb blew up his Lexus hybrid has lost an eye in the attack, according to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.

Pierce is the chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board, the body that licenses and disciplines physicians in that state.

Some type of explosive device went off as Pierce was leaving his home in West Memphis. Local and federal investigators are searching for who might have done it.

"We don't know if this was a random target or someone specifically targeted him," West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert said. It's unclear if the doctor was inside or outside his car when the bomb went off, Paubert said.

-- Lance Murray

Car bomb critically injures head of Arkansas medical board

It appears somebody tried to blow up the head of the Arkansas State Medical Board on Wednesday.

Dr. Trent P. Pierce, a family practitioner in West Memphis, Ark., was critically injured when his SUV exploded as he was preparing to leave his home for work.

West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert said that "some type of explosive device" was placed in the vehicle.

Pierce heads the board that licenses and disciplines doctors in Arkansas.

-- Lance Murray

Suspect arrested in bank bombing that killed 2 officers

An arrest has been made in last week's fatal bank bombing in Oregon.

The explosion Friday evening at the West Coast Bank in Woodburn killed a police captian and an Oregon state trooper. Both men were bomb squad technicians.

Police said the suspect was arrested in the Salem area.

According to a sheriff's department news release, the identity of the suspect and other details were not released, "to protect the integrity of the investigation and the safety of officers continuing to investigate this crime."

-- Lance Murray

Bomb damages Times Square military recruiting station

A bomb blast damaged an empty military recruiting station in New York City's Times Square early Thursday morning.

Nobody was at work when the bomb went off at 3:45 a.m., police said, but the blast shook guests at nearby hotels.

"If it is something that's directed toward American troops than it's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," said Army Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, commander of Army recruiting in Manhattan.

The recruiting station housed Army, Marine, Air Force and Navy recruiters.

-- Lance Murray

-- Associated Press Photo

Bomb blast outside Sopranos actor's theater 'a message'

First actor Michael Imperioli's television character, Christopher Moltisanti, gets snuffed out by Tony Soprano on The Sopranos. Then in real life, someone exploded a homemade bomb Tuesday outside a New York City theater, Studio Dante, owned by Imperioli. The New York Post reports that police believe someone was trying to send Imperioli or his family a message.

-- Lance Murray

-- Star-Telegram file photo of Michael Imperioli inside Studio Dante.