California Man Arrested For Making Pipe Bombs In His Home
Antioch, CA – Fifty-three-year-old, Frank Trout of Antioch is recovering from third degree burns caused from manufacturing pipe bombs in his home. Purportedly, Trout was in the middle of composing an explosive device when an accidental flash fire erupted, severely injuring him. He’s since been arrested on suspicion of manufacturing and possession of destructive devices. Eerily, this is not the first time Trout has been arrested for this offense. Back in 2007, he had been detained, but charges were never properly filed.
Authorities responded to Trout’s home after witnesses reported seeing smoke, and a burned man leave shortly thereafter in a car. They caught up with him at the Sutter Delta Medical Center. There Trout admitted to how he came about his injuries, assuring he’d done it purely out of fun and not with any particular criminal intent. Neighbors were evacuated and the Walnut Creek Bomb Squad was dispatched to properly remove all explosives and bomb-making materials from the residence. There were minor damages to the home due to the flash fire.
According to The San Francisco Gate, Police Sergeant Robert Quintero quoted Trout as confessing:
“He says he just likes to watch them blow up like fireworks.”
Penal code 12303 prohibits the possession of any destructive devices other than “fixed ammunition.” It can not exceed .60 caliber. Violation can result in substantial fines and incarceration. California law specifies a guilty conviction of a public offense shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not to exceed one year, or in state prison, or by a fine not to exceed $10,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
