Man Arrested After Explosive Devices Found In Truck, Bombs Detonated Safely

A man was arrested after three homemade explosives devices were found in a truck on U.S. Highway 1 in Ormond Beach, Volusia County, Florida, on Wednesday.

An Ormond Beach police officer saw a truck parked in an empty plot but was unable to find the driver after searching the area. The officer watched for a while and when the driver returned to the Ford F-150 truck, the cop stopped him.

When police asked the driver, identified as Damon Lance Gause Jr., about what he was doing in the vacant plot, the man said he was thinking of buying the land. Soon, a K-9 unit reached the spot and searched the truck. A homemade explosive device was found on the front seat, while two additional explosives were found in a toolbox.

Volusia County Sheriff’s officers along with the bomb disposal squad reached the spot and safely detonated the bombs. Gause, 47, was taken into custody and charged on three counts of possession of a homemade explosive device. Traffic on the highway was diverted for a few hours as the officers worked to secure the area. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

Gause was previously arrested in December 2018 and January 2019 for trespassing and a drug-related offense, Click Orlando reported.

Investigation was ongoing and no further information was available.

In a similar incident in November 2018, a Florida man was arrested after explosives were found at his home. An anonymous tipster informed police about a Lake Helen resident having a homemade bomb under his bed. Police found triacetone triperoxide, a dangerous substance used to make bombs, in the house. The man was identified as 37-year-old Jared E. Coburn, who the officials said was very skilled in handling the substance. He was arrested and charged with manufacturing an explosive device.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the substance was used by terrorist organizations to make “Mother of Satan” bombs and that it was used in several terrorist attacks around the world.

Speaking about Coburn, Chitwood said, "I think the general consensus from the experts is this guy is pretty intelligent and pretty savvy, that he's able to produce this and not have blown himself or anything else up accidentally.”