Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Incendiary Bomb

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man pleaded guilty today to possessing an incendiary bomb.

According to statements made in court, on September 28, 2020, deputies with the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters encountered Daniel Justin Watts, 36, at his residence on Green Valley Road in Huntington. Watts had constructed an improvised incendiary device, commonly known as a “Molotov cocktail”, ignited it and threw it on his property which started a fire. Watts admitted to making the device. 

Watts pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Act and faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on May 9, 2022.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office, and the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Keefe is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-00119.

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