Feds search teacher’s home in bombing case

WOONSOCKET – The first glimmer of a motive in the pipe-bombing of a vehicle owned by the principal of Bellingham High School last month surfaced Tuesday when federal agents searched the East Woonsocket home of a BHS teacher who was recently placed on leave.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms descended on the home of science teacher Susan Seery before dawn and were on the scene for over two hours, neighbors said.

The small yellow ranch at 22 Carey Court, off Elder Ballou Meeting House Road, is owned by Seery, according to city records, but the focus of the investigation may be a relative who also lives there, sources familiar with the investigation said. A member of Seery’s department at BHS said she is on leave, but did not elaborate. Bellingham School Committeeman Mark Flannery referred questions to Schools Supt. Peter D. Marano, who did not return phone calls.

“We’re going to confirm that a search warrant was executed,” said Matthew O’Shaughnessy, spokesman for the ATF’s Boston field office.

He said the court-authorized search was part of an ongoing investigation, but he declined to elaborate. Law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, said the search was tied to the bombing of Bellingham High School Principal Lucas Giguere’s vehicle in Blackstone last month.

The search of Seery’s home was the most visible indication of progress in the investigation into the Nov. 16 incident to date. Giguere, who lives with his father at 152 Lakeshore Drive in Blackstone, told police he was in his house at about 6 p.m. when

he heard a loud bang that shook the dwelling. No one was injured. The silver Jeep was parked a good distance from the house at the time and no one was inside the vehicle.

After the blast, Giguere looked outside and discovered that his vehicle had been heavily damaged – by a suspected pipe bomb, according to investigators. Blackstone police said the device was powerful enough to blow apart the grill, radiator and parts of the engine block.

Multiple law enforcement agencies in two states began investigating the incident, including Blackstone and Bellingham police, the Woon- socket Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad, as well as the ATF, which has federal jurisdiction over crimes that involve explosive devices.

Blackstone Police Chief Ross A. Atstupenas couldn’t be reached yesterday, but at the time of the incident he stressed that Giguere appeared to have been targeted by the explosive device.

“I want to stress first and foremost that we do not believe that there is any danger to the community and that this does not appear to have been a random act,” the chief said.

Sources familiar with the investigation said Tuesday’s search was not the first time law enforcement had visited Seery’s house. One investigator said detectives had visited Seery within a day of the explosion. Other news organizations reported that a Rhode Island woman was among those initially questioned in connection with the incident, but it’s unknown if that individual was Seery.

A Foxborough native, Seery studied science education at Fitchburg State College, according to her Facebook page. She has owned the house at 22 Carey Court since May 2012, the assessor’s online database says.

Giguere is a Marine veteran who has served as principal of Bellingham High School since 2015. He initially said little about the bombing, but several days after the incident he issued a statement expressing gratitude to the school community for its support.

Giguere said he had been “overwhelmed” by kindness and compassion since the explosion and expressed confidence that the school would continue to support an atmosphere of normality and safety for students.

Giguere served in the Marine Corps from 1998 to 2005. He participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, most of which involved combat operations in Afghanistan, before he was discharged at the rank of sergeant. He has previously held various administrative positions in Franklin public schools, including assistant principal of the high school.