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Table of Contents

Pipe Bomb Planted at Cell Stores

BAY CITY, Mich. – A 75-year-old man from Whittemore, Michigan, has been arrested in connection with the placement of pipe bombs outside cell phone stores in Cheboygan and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

According to court documents, John Douglas Allen, 75, left two devices outside an AT&T store in Sault Ste. Marie and a Verizon store in Cheboygan on September 15, 2021. The devices were later determined to be improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or homemade bombs, also known as pipe bombs.

The investigation, which involved multiple law enforcement agencies, was able to identify Allen as the person responsible for leaving the packages based on video footage and other evidence.

Allen is also accused of leaving letters with threats aimed at telecommunication carriers at cell towers in the Upper Peninsula. The letters were placed in polka dot envelopes and sealed in zip lock bags.

Allen faces charges of Extortion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and Attempted Damage or Destruction of Buildings Used in Interstate Commerce, punishable by a minimum of five years and not more than 20 years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, Michigan State Police, Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office, Cheboygan Police Department, Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Police, the US Coast Guard Investigative Service, US Border Patrol, and ATF.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Michael Buckley, Jerome Gorgon, Christopher O’Connor, and Theodore Greeley are prosecuting the case in their respective districts.

Allen is scheduled to make an initial appearance in Bay City this afternoon to answer to the charges in the Eastern District of Michigan. A date has not yet been set for his appearance in the Western District of Michigan to answer those charges.