Florida man dumps forgotten homemade pipe bomb at car wash after estranged wife turns him in: deputies
EDGEWATER, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested after he left a homemade pipe bomb in a car wash trash can, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office.
Anthony Ray West, a 58-year-old electrical engineer, was arrested and charged with manufacturing an explosive device and possession of bomb-making materials.
The Volusia Sheriff's Office began investigating West after his estranged wife disclosed he had bomb-making materials, deputies said. The couple was going through a divorce and West allegedly left her home in Deltona with duffel bags of bomb-making materials.
Photo: Volusia Sheriff's Office
Before he left, though, his wife took photos of all the materials, including bomb-making books and manuals, deputies said. When deputies made contact with West, they searched the duffel bags and discovered the pipe bomb was missing.
Photo: Volusia Sheriff's Office
West told deputies he made the pipe bomb a long time ago and said he never intended to use it to harm anyone. He also said he forgot it was in his duffel bag until his wife messaged him, alerting him that the bomb squad was on their way to investigate, deputies said.
Because of this, West "panicked" and allegedly dumped the pipe bomb at a car wash – Wally Wash on Ridgewood Avenue in Edgewater.
The man confessed to leaving a pipe bomb in a trash can at Wally Wash earlier on Wednesday.
The pipe bomb was described as a "piece of galvanized pipe filled with black powder and secured with two endcaps and a fuse," West told deputies.
Photo via Volusia Sheriff's Office
When the Volusia Sheriff's Office bomb squad arrived at Wally Wash, they found a suspicious box in a trash can by the vacuums. They conducted an X-ray, which confirmed the pipe bomb was inside the box.
The pipe bomb was removed from the scene and was deemed safe at a Volusia Sheriff's Office facility, deputies said.
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West was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail where he's being held on $20,000 bond.