5 days ago
Thurmont man facing charges after allegedly setting off explosive devices in public
A Thurmont man on Monday was arrested after he allegedly set off multiple homemade explosive devices in public, including in a roadway and near a playground where five children were playing. No one was injured.
John Michael Cintron Jr., 34, is charged with three felony counts of manufacturing, possessing or distributing a destructive device. He also faces five misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment.
During a bail hearing on Tuesday, Cintron appeared from the Frederick County Adult Detention through a video connection, but did not speak.
On May 27, charging documents say, Cintron was captured on a garage surveillance camera walking along Locust Street in Thurmont.
In the video, Cintron could allegedly be seen reaching into a black bag and removing an object that later exploded, emitting a white cloud of vapor.
Something else exploded as Cintron was reaching into the bag, charging documents say.
The objects that exploded were believed to be bombs made by placing small chunks or pieces of dry ice inside a sealed plastic container.
When a device goes off, the container can shatter, causing pieces of dry ice and shrapnel to scatter, charging documents say.
Two days after the incident was captured on the garage door camera, some of Cintron's neighbors reportedly visited the Thurmont Police Department to express concerns about his behavior.
One neighbor of Cintron's said they saw him on multiple occasions throw firecrackers and other explosives 'at all hours of the day and night.'
On one such occasion — New Year's Eve — Cintron almost hit the neighbor's porch while they were sitting on it, charging documents say.
The same neighbor said that, on Memorial Day, Cintron walked past a playground carrying a homemade explosive device emitting a vapor.
A short time later, the device went off, which frightened their child and four others who were in the area at the time, the neighbor said.
A video of the incident reportedly shows Cintron walking past the playground and into the woods while carrying a bottle. The sound of an explosion can then be heard, and the children can be seen covering their ears while looking in Cintron's direction.
A second person reportedly told Thurmont Police that they had conversations with Cintron in which he admitted to possessing dry ice and other potentially dangerous items such as crossbow arrows, trip wires and kunai, a type of blade.
The second person also said Cintron is known to be combative and makes frequent threats against others, including his neighbors and police officers, according to charging documents.
Online court records show that Cintron is currently subject to a domestic violence protective order that required him to surrender his firearms and abide by several other conditions.
On Monday, members of Thurmont Police and the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office searched Cintron's residence, where they reportedly found 'several items consistent with the manufacture of pressure plates and trip wires.'
Also found in Cintron's residence were two bags, with one containing 10 to 15 red wrapped firecrackers and the other containing black powder. The black powder was confirmed through a burn test to be 'energetic,' charging documents say.
Held without bail
During a bail review hearing in Frederick County District Court on Tuesday, Jason Shoemaker of the State's Attorney's Office argued that Cintron posed a danger to himself and others and should be held without bail pending trial.
'This defendant terrorized his community,' Shoemaker told the court.
Shoemaker said it would be difficult to prevent Cintron from making more explosive devices, given that the materials to do so can be purchased from most home improvement stores.
According to Shoemaker, Cintron told police that he has access to dry ice through his job, but he is not authorized to take it.
Online court records show that Cintron was convicted in Florida in 2019 of threatening to throw, project, place or discharge a destructive device, and for possessing or discharging a destructive device.
In that case, Shoemaker said during the bail hearing on Tuesday, Cintron targeted a former friend of his with a homemade grenade.
Following his 2019 conviction, court records show that Cintron was ordered to serve six years in prison. He received credit for 476 days he already served.
Cintron was also ordered to serve nine years on probation, but a Florida court in December 2023 granted a motion to terminate his probation early, records show.
Ricardo Flores, a public defender who represented Cintron during the bail review hearing, argued that Cintron should be placed on home detention while awaiting trial.
Flores said much of the conduct alleged in charging documents went unreported for months, and the court should not weigh those allegations heavily in deciding whether or not Cintron should be granted bail.
Regarding the alleged incidents late last month, Flores said Cintron was not injured, and neither was anyone else.
Flores said Cintron had been diagnosed with multiple mental health conditions, including autism and bipolar disorder, but he appeared to be relatively high-functioning. He said Cintron recently started a new job, which he relies on to support his wife and their three children.
According to Flores, Cintron is concerned that remaining in jail could cause him to lose his job, as he is still in his 90-day probationary period. He asked the court to place Cintron on home detention pending trial.
Washington County District Judge Victoria Lobley, who presided over Cintron's bail hearing in Frederick County District Court on Tuesday, ordered that he be held without bail at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center pending trial.
Lobley cited Cintron's prior conviction for similar conduct in her reasoning for holding him without bail. His next hearing is scheduled for July 2.
