By NATHANIEL JONES

Star-Telegram staff writer
Sat, Jan. 05, 2008

ARLINGTON -- The trial of a San Antonio woman who police said planted a fake bomb at a home built on a former Navy bombing range is scheduled to begin Monday.

Janet Ahmad of San Antonio, national president of HomeOwners for Better Building, is accused of calling 911 to report that a bomb had been found in the 7500 block of Cresswell Drive during a tour of the area in 2002.

The misdemeanor trial is scheduled to begin in Tarrant County on Monday.

HomeOwners for Better Building is a San Antonio-based homeowners advocacy group.

Ahmad, reached by phone Friday, referred all questions to her attorney.

What happened

Ahmad, 65, is charged with making a false report. A January 2002 report states that Ahmad intentionally and knowingly planted a miniature training bomb on property knowing it would cause police to respond. At the time, dozens of homeowners in the Southridge Hills subdivision had filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against builder KB Home, alleging that they had not been told their houses were built on a former Navy bombing range.

Charges and penalty

If Ahmad is found guilty of the Class A Misdemeanor, she would face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

The district attorney's office originally filed two felony charges against Ahmad in 2003, alleging that she fabricated evidence regarding the 2002 police report. Those charges were dropped in May 2004 before prosecutors brought the case back as a misdemeanor.

The neighborhood

In a $1 million cleanup in 2004 and 2005, the Army Corps of Engineers removed more than 100 unexploded practice bombs buried near Matlock and Harris roads in south Arlington.

The area was once the Five Points Outlying Field, used by Navy pilots for target practice during and after World War II. It is now occupied by more than 800 residents of the Southridge Hills subdivision and Twin Parks Estates mobile home park.

Residents have sued KB Home because they said they were not told about the bombing range.

This report includes material from The Associated Press and Star-Telegram archives.