Florida man arrested after dumping pipe bomb in car wash trash can on August 16
EDGEWATER, FLORIDA: A Florida man has been arrested after allegedly dumping a homemade pipe bomb at a car wash, according to law enforcement officials.
Anthony Ray West, 58, was arrested from his home on Wednesday, August 16 when he confessed to leaving the pipe bomb in a trash can at an Edgewater car wash.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office noted in a Facebook statement that deputies visited West’s house after his soon-to-be ex-wife called 911 to report that he had bomb-making materials with him.
The couple is apparently going through a divorce and West left his wife’s house in Deltona with duffel bags containing the bomb-making material, along with books on bomb-making, according to Click Orlando.
However, before the Florida man departed, his wife took pictures of the bag's contents, which authorities claim included a pipe bomb.
"When deputies made contact with West in his room in Edgewater, they searched the duffel bags and noticed the pipe bomb was missing," the Facebook post stated.
Why did Anthony Ray West dumped pipe bomb in the car wash trash can?
After initial interrogation, West, who is an electrical engineer, told officials that he made the pipe bomb a long time ago, and was adamant he never intended to use it or any explosive device to harm anyone.
He also claimed that he forgot the pipe bomb was in the duffel bag until he received a text from his wife who told him that a bomb squad was on its way to investigate.
Officials stated that after receiving the message, West panicked and dumped it in a car wash trash can on Ridgewood Ave. The Florida man described the explosive as a "piece of galvanized pipe filled with black powder and secured with two endcaps and a fuse."
The bomb squad was then dispatched to Wally Wash, where they retrieved the suspicious box from a trash can near the vacuums.
An X-ray of the box confirmed the pipe bomb was inside. The device was removed from the scene to be rendered safe at a VSO facility.
The sheriff's office charged West with manufacturing an explosive device and possession of bomb-making materials. The Florida man was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail with a bond of $20,000.
Similar incident with another Florida man
West’s arrest came after another Florida man was arrested for selling a pipe bomb he built at his house to an undercover detective.
James John Hall, a 34-year-old from Zephyrhills, Florida, was arrested in November 2022 after a Tampa police detective working with an FBI task force disclosed that Hall told a confidential informant he was in possession of a homemade pipe bomb at his house that could be purchased for $800.
Soon, the Florida man was charged with one count of unlicensed distribution of explosive materials, one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device, and one count of unlawful making of a destructive device, according to Fox Digitial.
