DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The arrest in San Francisco of a man with Iowa connections has shocked some of his former acquaintances.
The FBI took Ryan Kelly Chamberlain, 42, into custody Monday after San Francisco police apprehended him in a park near the Golden Gate Bridge.
Authorities sought Chamberlain for three days due to suspicions he possessed explosives.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/1mOtLgM ) Chamberlain attended Johnston High School in suburban Des Moines, where school district spokeswoman Laura Dillavou said he was a student body president and athlete. He graduated in 1989.
Jenipher Sutherland, of Des Moines, graduated with Chamberlain. She said he was smart and well-liked.
“His motive, we don’t know why,” Sutherland said of the allegations against Chamberlain. “And I think that’s what has a lot of us in shock is that it just does not seem to be something we would have ever imagined from him.”
Tony Bohnenkamp, who has played with several area bands including the Nadas, knew Chamberlain when they both attended Iowa State University. He remembered Chamberlain as a supporter of local musicians.
“He’s like the most passionate music fan I’ve ever probably met in my life,” Bohnenkamp said. “I was in the Nadas for a few years, and if (Chamberlain) was in the same area that we were in, he would make an effort to come see us and buy us beer and take care of us.”
Bohnenkamp said when he and others heard the FBI was seeking Chamberlain, they wondered if there had been a mistake.
“I’m a little bit flabbergasted about this whole thing,” Bohnenkamp said.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com
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