A 28-year-old Pickens man has admitted to possessing a live pipe bomb, pleading guilty in federal court this morning as federal prosecutors detailed how the explosive device was found during a routine warrant sweep in Easley, South Carolina. Matthew Joseph Kelley’s guilty plea in Anderson federal court marks a sharp escalation in what began as a fugitive apprehension effort and ended with a dangerous weapons charge.
Kelley entered his plea to one count of possession of a destructive device, a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 5861. U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea, deferring sentencing until after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigation report. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in federal prison.
According to evidence presented at the change of plea hearing, law enforcement officers with the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force and deputies from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a residence in Easley on August 19, 2016, to serve an arrest warrant for another individual believed to be on-site. Upon arrival, multiple people were present, and the homeowner consented to a search of the premises.
During the search, deputies obtained permission to examine the belongings of others in the home. Inside a bag belonging to Matthew Joseph Kelley, officers discovered a functioning pipe bomb. The device was secured and turned over to explosive experts for analysis, confirming it was a viable destructive device capable of causing serious harm.
Kelley was taken into custody and formally arrested on federal firearms charges three days later, on August 23, 2016. He has remained in federal custody ever since. No additional explosives or weapons were reported found during the search, but investigators are probing Kelley’s possible motives and connections to extremist or violent ideologies.
The case was jointly investigated by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Cauthen is prosecuting the case out of the Greenville U.S. Attorney’s Office. Kelley’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for a later date and will be announced by the federal court.
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Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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