02-04-2025
Police say they found homemade bombs in Boise home. Two men arrested, face charges
The Boise Police Department arrested two men this week after officers said they found homemade bombs — one of which was used for a prior Fourth of July celebration — at one of the men's homes on the Bench in February.
The men, a 58-year-old from Boise and a 50-year-old from New Plymouth, now face felony charges of possession of a destructive device or bomb, according to a police news release.
On Feb. 15, officers responded to the Boise man's home off of South Beechwood Drive on a pipe bomb report, police said. They cleared everyone out of the home, asked neighbors to shelter in place and called the BPD Bomb Squad, the release said. Members of the squad determined that two devices in the home were viable improvised explosive devices, and 'had the potential to detonate and cause serious bodily injury or death.'
Bomb technicians rendered the devices safe and took them as evidence, police said.
'Thanks to the expertise and training of our bomb squad, we were able to safely neutralize both devices, protecting the residents — including children, their neighbors, and the surrounding community,' BPD Bomb Squad and Property Crimes Sgt. Ryan Thueson said in the release.
'The quick response and thorough evaluation ensured that no one was harmed by these dangerous explosives.'
Police said that when officers approached one of the men, he handled one of the devices 'recklessly' by shaking it and dropping it less than 3 feet from an officer.
Both men have been booked into the Ada County Jail on the charges, police said.
