Pierce County construction worker finds man with a pipe bomb in his bag, charges say
A Pierce County man found with a pipe bomb Wednesday planned to use the explosive on someone he accused of sexually assaulting his daughter, charging papers allege.
Prosecutors charged the man with possessing an explosive device, and he pleaded not guilty at arraignment Tuesday in Superior Court. Bail was set at $75,000.
Charging papers give this account of what happened:
A construction worker noticed a gun powder-like smell Monday at a house being built in the 2800 block of 176th Street East. It also looked like a toilet at the site had been blown up.
Later the worker saw several people “walking away from a house under construction with items loaded onto a bicycle/bicycle trailer,” the declaration for determination of probable cause said.
Two fled when the worker approached. The suspect remained and, when asked, said his backpack contained a homemade explosive.
The worker called 911, the suspect fled, and the worker chased and detained him.
Bomb experts with safety gear arrived and safely disposed of the explosive.
“It was noted to be a galvanized pipe, about 6 inches long and one inch in diameter,” the probable cause statement said. “There were galvanized caps on each end, with hot glue around the main body of the pipe.”
There also appeared to be ball bearings in the hot glue and a fuse going into the pipe.
While taking care of the bomb, investigators noticed its contents and the way it was constructed meant friction could set it off unintentionally.
The suspect allegedly told police that the bomb was to blow up the bus of a man he believed to have sexually assaulted his 13-year-old daughter.
