Radioactive Boy Scout arrested

[giza]

Some of you might remember the story of the Radioactive Boy Scout. Some years ago, then 14-year old David Hahn tried making a homemade nuclear reactor in a shed in his back yard. This involved uh, "liberating" americium-241 from many smoke detectors so that he could get a steady stream of alpha particles in the creation of his reactor.

Long story short, he was eventually caught and the EPA had to come in and take the now radioactive shed away.

Well, it turns out that he just made the news again. This time for stealing smoke detectors:

"Radioactive Boy Scout" worries neighbors

By Christina Hall
Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — Could David Hahn, once dubbed the "Radioactive Boy Scout," have been trying to build a nuclear reactor again?

Clinton Township police would only be speculating, but the 30-year-old — who as a teenager tried to earn a merit badge by building a nuclear reactor in his mother's potting shed — was arrested Thursday on charges of stealing a smoke detector from his suburban Detroit apartment complex.

Smoke detectors contain small amounts of radioactive americium, which was found in larger quantities in 1995 in the shed Hahn used. At that time, the federal Environmental Protection Agency became involved, the area became a Superfund site, Harper's magazine wrote an article and his story became a book.

Hahn received a Scouting merit badge for atomic energy in 1991, the magazine article said.

In the most recent incident, Hahn was charged with larceny from a building and was being held Friday in Macomb County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail after arraignment Thursday. During an interview with police, he denied taking the smoke detector, Capt. Richard Maierle said.

Maierle said a maintenance man at Green Valley Apartments saw Hahn on Wednesday taking the smoke detector off a wall.

The rest of the article can be found here.

Is the piece a little sensationalistic? Maybe. But it does make for an interesting (if saddening) read about what became of David.

Comments

[simbab.livejournal.com]

Okay, something's wrong with that guy. Seriously. You don't stay obsessed with something like that—to the point of repeatedly breaking the law—over 10-15 years unless you've got some sort of disorder.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Actually, we don't know that yet.

All we know right now is that he tried building a nuclear reactor as a kid using smoke detectors, and that he was recently accused of stealing smoke detectors.

Who knows what he has been doing between then? Then again, it'll be interesting to see what is found if his home is searched.

[simbab.livejournal.com]

That's true, but stealing smoke detectors at 15 to build a super awesome nuclear reactor is one thing. Stealing them at 30, especially with the history he has, is something in a whole 'nother realm.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Looking at the original story, I'm not sure he "stole" them at age 15, either. He certainly misrepresented himself, but he was ultimately never charged with anything.

Sorry, I'm feeling nitpicky today. :-/

Of course, if what happened when he was 15 happened today, I'm sure he would have been charged with some terrorism related offense. :-/

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

Americium is nasty stuff. But ONLY if you injest it, breath it, or get it on or under your skin. The Alpha particles it emits cannot even penetrate a piece of paper. But the particles are so energetic that they shatter nuclei in whatever they strike. Not all that useful for a reactor, though it's prime material for a Dirty bomb.

[giza.livejournal.com]

I am on a low-Americium diet as of right now!

[two-pi-r.livejournal.com]

I think what he was using the Americium to enrich thorium. But I'm not 100% certain, it's been a while since I read the RBS book.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Actually, he was trying to turn thorium into Uranium-233(!) (http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html)

[kinkyturtle.livejournal.com]

Why do you hate Americium? :}

[two-pi-r.livejournal.com]

Ahhhahah. That's seriously awesome.

[taral.livejournal.com]

The picture of him is quite disturbing.

[agrajag-fur.livejournal.com]

I am concerned that Englishium, a little known brother element to Americanesium could be employed by english boy scouts, or even by the entire global coven of scouts that got together in my home town a couple of weeks ago the UK.

See the little scamps at work here: http://www.bsawsj2007.org/

[fangwolf57.livejournal.com]

Yes yes run in fear they will all be making little nuclear reactors. lol

They will also be building anti gravity guns too.

[fangwolf57.livejournal.com]

I remember reading about that many years ago in Readers digest. Don't know what happened to David in his military life after dropping out of college, but it did say he was still interested in nuclear science.
Years later the Boy Scouts dropped the atomic energy merit badge, they didn't really say it was because of this.

This story made me laugh, it just seemed so much like an urban legend like that can't be real. Oh but you know what they always say "Truth is stranger then fiction", and I couldn't think of a story where that is more appropriate.

[tryphina13.livejournal.com]

Like he's the only kid to try to extract radioactive material from a smoke deteactor. I had a friend who did that in high school. He also made a nice big pit in his backyard with a pipe bomb. Honours student before you ask.

[giza.livejournal.com]

I must meet your friend. He sounds like a kindred spirit.

[tryphina13.livejournal.com]

Have no idea where he is now. I figure either in a mad scientist sanitarium or glowing in a lab somewhere.