Iowa Man Charged With Making a Pipe Bomb Found By Child

An Iowa man has now been charged with making and placing a pipe bomb that ended up being found by a young girl. CBS2 reports that the child found the device in a suburb of Des Moines. Investigators say they do not believe that this is connected to another pipe bomb that was found back in March at a nearby polling location.

Last week, ATF agents arrested 46 year old Chad Allen Williams after a search of his home in Johnston, Iowa. Authorities found materials used in making a bomb around a workbench in his garage. That device was found in the middle of a residential street in Ankeny on June 9th. The bomb was made out of fireworks, a spool of fuse, vehicle lubricant, zip ties, screws, nuts, and metal wall anchors, according to CBS2.

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Williams told investigators that he hid the device in a large cardboard box, lit it, and then left it in the middle of Waywin Drive in Ankeny on either June 8th or 9th. He stated that when he did not see the device go off, he assumed he had run over it with his vehicle. CBS2 reports that the next morning, a young girl playing outside found the device and her mother called police. The State Fire Marshall's office was able to disarm the explosive before it went off.

Williams has been charged with making and possessing an unregistered explosive device. He is being held in the Polk County Jail pending a detention hearing next week.