Henniker Man Found Guilty of Unlawfully Possessing a Pipe Bomb

            CONCORD – Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that a federal jury found James Leonard, 36, of Henniker, guilty of unlawfully possessing a destructive device.  The verdict was returned on Thursday, December 16, 2021.

             According to trial exhibits and witness testimony during the three-day jury trial, on June 12, 2018, the Bennington Police Department was called to the defendant’s apartment for a noise complaint.  When the police arrived, they heard a male yelling and screaming.  The police attempted to contact the defendant by knocking at his front door but were unable to contact him. The police went around to the back side of the apartment to a slider door in an effort to speak with the defendant.  While they were at the back slider door, the police smelled an odor of burnt marijuana.  Officers later obtained and executed a search warrant for the defendant’s residence.  During the search, they located marijuana and the component parts for a pipe bomb.

            The police contacted the New Hampshire State Police Bomb Squad who responded to the defendant’s residence to assist in the investigation and gather the explosive material.  The ATF subsequently identified the explosive material and determined that the defendant had all the necessary component parts to readily assemble a destructive device, specifically, an explosive pipe bomb.  This combination of parts was not registered on the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law. 

            Leonard, who is detained, faces up to ten years in prison.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2022. 

            “By constructing a pipe bomb in his residence, this defendant placed his neighbors and the community in danger,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “Thanks to good police work, law enforcement officers were able to secure this potentially-deadly device and prevent any individuals from being harmed.  We will continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect public safety and prevent acts of violence in the Granite State.”

            This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Hampshire State Police, and the Bennington Police Department. The Hancock, Antrim, and Francestown Police Departments also assisted with this matter.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.

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