Eugene Man Arrested After IEDs, Gun, Meth Found in Vehicle

A patrol officer's early-morning check of a Subaru Impreza left idling with its driver's door open near Fuller Avenue and Jay Street turned into a bomb squad operation when investigators searching the vehicle found two improvised explosive devices, a firearm, and methamphetamine. Skylor J. Koelzer, 26, of Eugene was arrested and now faces multiple felony charges stemming from the April 7 incident.

The officer first encountered the Impreza around 1:00 a.m. but did not make an arrest at that time. Hours later, the same vehicle reappeared in the 2100 block of West 16th Avenue with a passenger present. When Koelzer fled, investigators obtained a search warrant for the Subaru. The warrant search produced both IEDs along with the firearm and meth.

Eugene Springfield Fire Department's Metro Explosives Disposal Unit responded to secure and remove the devices. Eugene Springfield Fire personnel held on standby while MEDU technicians cleared the vehicle, a precaution that temporarily restricted access to the West 16th Avenue block as the disposal team worked.

Koelzer faces two counts of possession of a destructive device and an unlawful possession of a firearm charge. The methamphetamine recovered from the vehicle exceeded two grams, carrying its own felony possession count under Oregon law.

The responding officer had previously made contact with people at the Fuller Avenue and Jay Street location over suspected drug use in parked vehicles, meaning the area was already familiar to patrol before the overnight stop escalated into an explosives call. The shift from a suspicious vehicle check to a search warrant execution and bomb disposal operation required coordination among EPD patrol, MEDU, and Eugene Springfield Fire, three agencies that rarely converge on a single residential block in the middle of the night.

Koelzer's booking information and formal charging documents are expected to be available through Lane County Jail records as the case moves forward.