TRIPwire, 11 March 2020

On 9 March 2020, deputies from the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a dispute and an explosion at a private residence in Buckhannon. According to the home’s resident, he and a 62-year-old male were involved in a verbal altercation that evening. When the resident refused to leave his house, the suspect yelled, “If you’re not coming out, I got something for ya,” which was followed by the sound of an explosion in front of the home and the suspect fleeing the scene in a vehicle. Deputies found large metal fragmentation pieces scattered across the front yard, and the ground was clearly disturbed. Deputies pulled over the suspect and in his vehicle found bomb-making materials, including two pipes that matched fragmentation found in the yard, a long-necked lighter, and a box of pyrotechnics and fuses. The suspect was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment, criminal use of a destructive device, and possession of explosives.