Man Arrested on Explosives Charges in Rural CA

Nuclear explosion (AFP / Getty)
AFP / Getty

A Johannesburg, California man who allegedly made threats against local and federal law enforcement agencies on social media was arrested Saturday after authorities found a cache of explosives at his home.

Todd Sloan, 51, was arrested without incident at a gas station in Johannesburg on January 9, Kern County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement provided to ABC affiliate KERO. Local law enforcement had been tipped off to threats Sloan allegedly made on Facebook on Thursday, January 7. Investigators reportedly determined that there was probably cause to obtain a search warrant for Sloan’s home.

After executing the search warrant, authorities found “numerous improvised and commercial explosives in addition to ‘booby traps'” spread throughout the home.

Sloan was arrested on charges of recklessly possessing explosives, possession of explosives, possession of explosive material, and possession of a firearm as a prohibited person. Authorities found the firearm on Sloan’s person during the man’s arrest.

Kern County Sheriff’s Office had said that the local bomb squad would require several days to clear the home of explosives. The Kern County and Bakersfield bomb squads were being assisted by members of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Sloan is currently being held in lieu of $2 million bail, according to the Associated Press.

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