PUYALLUP — Pierce County officials say a 26-year-old man is in custody on a charge that he maliciously placed a homemade explosive device in a public place.
Prosecutors say Blake Edward Heger was also charged Monday with one count of having dangerous weapons.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to a Puyallup hardware store Saturday by a person who said Heger was outside sharpening knives and putting them in the back of his pants. A deputy found a 5-inch screwdriver that had been shaved into a dagger and found another knife in his backpack.
Deputies searched the area and found two cylinders taped together with fuses wrapped around them. The explosive device was under a fence near traffic and walkers. Deputies say the device could have injured or killed people 10 to 15 feet away.
Heger told deputies they had fallen out of his backpack by accident. The public defender’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.