Pacific County man arrested after building an explosive device

The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Saturday, March 9th they received a call from a woman saying that her ex-boyfriend sent her images of what appeared to be an explosive device he had manufactured.

Deputies contacted the woman and saw the images appeared to show the man and various stages of the explosive being constructed, including what appeared to be the contents used to pack the device including packets of gun powder, copper and lead bullets and pellets from a shotgun shell.

The woman said that she didn’t know why her ex-boyfriend had sent her the pictures, and said he had made no threats to use the device. She also said that the man had been experiencing depression and that he could be volatile.

The Sheriff’s Office sent the images to the Washington State Patrol Explosives Unit who assisted with the investigation.

Deputies arrested the 24 year old Ocean Park man, searching his home with a warrant and finding some of the same material used to construct the device and tools, and the man told deputies he had buried the device in his back yard.

When the device was dug up, deputies found it did contain gun powder, pellets and bullets but didn’t have a detonator.

The man said that he intended to make the device to detonate, but buried it after his ex-girlfriend told him that she had called the Sheriff’s Office.

The man was booked into the Pacific County Jail for Criminal Attempt to Manufacture an Explosive Device.