Tacoma car bomber targeted someone she thought helped police. Now she’ll be sentenced

A Tacoma woman who blew up the car of someone she thought was telling police about her drug dealing pleaded guilty Friday in federal court.

Kenni Jo Bennett, 41, could get up to 10 years in prison for unlawful possession of a destructive device when she’s sentenced Jan. 5 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

No one was hurt in the Oct. 13, 2016, explosion in the 9000 block of D Street, but a family with several children were in a home nearby.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

Bennett bought an explosive device about the size of a soda can. She and someone else used it to blow up the empty car of a person she believed had talked to police about her drug trafficking.

She lit the fuse with a cigarette, and recorded the subsequent explosion on her phone. The bomb blew a hole in the car’s trunk, and spread debris across yards in the area.

Police arrested Bennett the next month, and found the video, according to court records.

She’s also charged in state court.

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 10:36 PM with the headline "Tacoma car bomber targeted someone she thought helped police. Now she’ll be sentenced."