ST. LOUIS – A Hannibal man admitted to making a series of illegal pipe bombs last year.
Joshua Rickey, 34, pled guilty Monday in federal court to one count of manufacturing one or more unregistered destructive devices and one count of possession of one or more unregistered destructive devices.
According to his plea agreement, Rickey admitted making a series of pipe bombs out of sparklers and plastic or metal pipes between July 4 and Aug. 13 last year. Investigators say Rickey detonated one in a burned-out house across from his own home in late July 2022 and once lit one at his grandmother’s house, damaging a fence.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says pipe bombs and other “improvised explosive devices constructed from various objects are prohibited and extremely dangerous.”
Rickey could face up to 10 years in prison or $250,000 in fines. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30.