Virginia man arrested with homemade explosives in car on New Year's Day, police say
The suspect received several charges, including felony possession of explosive materials or devices. He is being held without bond.
Items resembling homemade explosives were found in the car of a Virginia man arrested on New Year's Day, according to officials.
On Wednesday, police officers arrested Alexander Sweetman, 19, from Arlington, Virginia, after investigating reports of a suspicious driver wearing a ski mask, according to a press release posted to the Warren County Virginia Sheriff's Office's Facebook. He was apprehended after fleeing police on foot after deputies tried to approach him at a 7-Eleven.
Warren County, Virginia is located about 80 miles west of Washington, D.C.
Police originally received reports of a suspicious vehicle, a dark-colored Honda, off a roadway. But, when they arrived at the scene, they could not find the vehicle. A vehicle was later reported that matched the description of the Honda at a 7-Eleven, near where the suspect was apprehended.
According to police, a preliminary investigation revealed that Sweetman did not own the car, did not have a driver's license and "exhibited signs of potential mental health issues."
In the car, police found "burglary tools" and, after obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, found several objects that looked like homemade explosives, according to police.
The Warren County Fire Marshal's Office, Loudoun County Bomb Squad, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division were contacted for assistance. Bomb Squad technicians the removed devices from the car and conducted a controlled detonation.
While police conducted a search for any discarded items at the location Sweetman and the vehicle were originally reported, explosive detection canines were taken to the area for an additional search after the explosives were found.
What was Sweetman charged with?
Sweetman was taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation and, once cleared, was taken to the Rappahannock-Shenandoah-Warren Regional Jail, where he was charged with the following, according to police:
- Obstruction of justice
- Possession of burglarious tools
- Wearing a mask to conceal identity
- Driving without a license
- Manufacturing and possessing explosive materials or devices
Sweetman is being held at the jail without bond, according to police.
What happened?
At around 9:30 p.m. local time, the Warren County Emergency Communications Center received reports of a suspicious vehicle, a dark-colored Honda with no visible license plate off a roadway, according to the press release. Reports said the driver wore a ski mask.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they were unable to locate the Honda.
Police were later notified that a car matching the suspicious vehicle was spotted at a 7-Eleven, according to police. When police approached the driver, who was still wearing the ski mask, he fled on foot and was apprehended.
Largest cache of explosive devices seized in Virginia
Sweetman's arrest comes weeks after the FBI seized what was described as the largest seizure of explosive devices in the agency's history in Virginia, prosecutors said in court documents.
Brad Spafford, 36, of Isle of Wight, Virginia, was arrested on Dec. 17 after federal agents executing a search warrant found more than 150 apparent explosive devices on Spafford's farm east of Newport News, Virginia, according to court records.
The suspect was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of an unregistered short-barrel rifle, which carries a potential sentence of 10 years in prison. But Spafford faces additional charges for possession of unregistered destructive devices, said assistant U.S. attorney Rebecca Gantt in a motion filed Dec. 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Julia is a trending reporter for Paste BN. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com