| For Immediate Release June 13, 2011 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
PAROLE DENIED FOR MAN CONVICTED OF PLANTING PIPE BOMB AND CAUSING MAYHEM IN 1995
SANTA ANA –The Board of Parole Hearings (Board), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations denied the parole today of a man who was convicted of planting a pipe bomb and injuring another man in 1995. Steven Yaklyvich, 47, is currently being held at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, CA. Yaklyvich was sentenced March 21, 1997, to life in state prison for one felony count of unlawful explosion or explosive causing death. Deputy District Attorney Bruce Moore originally prosecuted the case. Before denying the inmate’s parole, the Board took into consideration the facts of the case, Yaklyvich’s prison record, and his failure to take responsibility for planting the pipe bomb. Yaklyvich will be eligible for his next parole hearing in 2014.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Jerry Schaffer appeared via video conference to defend public safety and advocate for justice.
On March 13, 1995, Yaklyvich, then-31-years old, received a visit from his girlfriend while in jail for possession of a syringe. During this visit, Yaklyvich became angry upon learning of his girlfriend’s relationship with another man, Ron Robertson. After Yaklyvich’s release from jail on March 17, 1995, he threatened Robertson over the phone, saying he would be “seeing” Robertson.
On April 4, 1995, Yaklyvich planted a pipe bomb under Ron Robertson’s vehicle, which exploded while the victim was driving. The blast caused the car’s brakes and steering to fail. It blew a hole through the floorboard and severely injured Robertson, breaking his ankle and foot in five places and causing permanent walking impairment. Robertson, injured and unable to steer or brake, crashed into another vehicle.
An investigation by the Orange Police Department (OPD) found that Yaklyvich had recently been taught how to construct a pipe bomb. One week before the incident, a friend observed Yaklyvich carefully holding a container on the way to Yaklyvich’s mother’s home, saying he didn’t want the box “to go boom.” After the blast, OPD found a box containing the same type of gunpowder used in the bomb under Robertson’s car at the home of Yaklyvich’s mother. OPD also found a stolen truck which contained tools and materials that were used to build and ignite a bomb. Yaklyvich was arrested Nov. 9, 1995, by OPD and later convicted by a jury.
Yaklyvich’s prison record shows that he has not been rehabilitated. The inmate refuses to make any statement about the crime and has denied his involvement in the pipe bombing for two decades. He has been cited for serious violations while in prison including battery on an inmate in 2001 and possessing pruno, inmate manufactured alcohol, in 1999 and 2005. He fails to take responsibility and blames his actions on his extensive and continued drug and alcohol abuse. Yacklyvich’s lack of responsibility for planting a pipe bomb and causing mayhem, and the fact that he is unable to follow the rules while incarcerated demonstrate the serious threat he poses to public safety and shows that he needs to remain in prison.
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