Bomb maker sentenced

EPHRATA — A Moses Lake man charged with building a bomb inside of a five-gallon bucket was sentenced in Grant County Superior Court.

Wagner L. Black, 52, pleaded guilty to intimidation or harassment with an explosive.

Grant County Superior Court Judge Evan Sperline sentenced him to 117 days in jail. He was ordered to submit to a mental evaluation by Grant Mental Healthcare within 60 days of release and ordered to follow the recommendations made after the evaluation, according to court records.

Police found the bomb after Black was involved in an unrelated domestic dispute, according to a Grant County sheriff’s report. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Black’s live-in girlfriend was moving out of the house. Her brother-in-law discovered a five-gallon bucket with a fuse and a book of matches sticking out of the side, according to the police report.

An FBI bomb expert assisted in defusing the bomb and said it appeared Black attached a line to the garage door at one point to create a booby trap.

Black built the pipe bomb with gun powder and shotgun pellets, then used concrete to attach it to the bottom of the bucket, according to the police report. A high power water-gun, a small amount of C4 explosive and a .50 caliber rifle round was used to remove the concrete from the bucket and destroy the bomb without detonating it.

Black’s girlfriend told police, he built three bombs she knew of. One he detonated in a pit north of the house, one he set off west of the residence and the third one was in the garage, according to the police report.

Police found ball bearings, shotgun pellets and match heads in two tobacco cans in the garage.