Man charged with building bomb

EPHRATA — A man, who allegedly built a bomb inside of a five-gallon bucket, is facing charges in Grant County Superior Court.

Wagner Lee Black, 51, Moses Lake, is charged with possession of a bomb or explosive devise with the intent to use it for unlawful purposes, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree and unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle.

Grant County Superior Court Judge Evan Sperline ordered him held on $50,000 bail.

Grant County sheriff’s deputies responded to Black’s house on Airway Drive in Moses Lake April 30 due to an unrelated domestic violence allegation. When they arrived, they arrested him for an outstanding warrant.

When Black’s live-in girlfriend was moving out of the house the next day, her brother-in-law reportedly discovered a five-gallon bucket with a fuse with a book of matches attached sticking out of the side, according to Grant County Superior Court records.

A FBI bomb expert, who assisted in defusing the bomb, said it appeared Black allegedly attached a line to the garage door to use it as a booby trap at one point.

Black reportedly built a 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-shotgun was used to remove the concrete from the bucket and a small amount of C4 explosives and a .50 caliber rifle round were used to 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 reportedly found ball bearings, shotgun shell shot and match heads in two tobacco cans in the garage.