A Polk County man is behind bars on multiple charges, including 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, after authorities attempting to serve a warrant allegedly discovered “smoldering” improvised explosive devices at the home of the man they were seeking.
Kevin Wade O’Neal, 54, is being held without bond pending a court hearing, according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Wade is charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, 14 counts of possession of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
Officers initially went to the home on Amber Way in Old Fort, Tennessee, a couple of miles north of the Georgia state line, to serve warrants stemming from allegations against O’Neal of “threatening to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County,” authorities said. Officers on Friday found O’Neal inside the home and took him into custody.
(READ MORE: Ocoee man charged with murder after Polk County shooting)
Man facing multiple counts of attempted murder after suspected ‘smoldering’ explosives found
“Officers realized that something was smoldering inside the bedroom where Mr. O’Neal had been located,” authorities said in the press release. “Officers observed what they believed to be an improvised explosive device inside the room.”
The residence was immediately evacuated, and the Chattanooga Police Department’s bomb squad and agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene, according to Polk authorities. During a search, investigators located 14 suspected improvised explosive devices inside the residence. Authorities accuse O’Neal of having attempted to detonate the devices upon officers’ arrival and while they were attempting to apprehend him.
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Nine of the attempted murder charges stem from the nine law enforcement personnel on scene, and two of the counts relate to two other people who were inside the home at the time, authorities said.
District Attorney Stephen Hatchett was not in his office Monday morning and did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment on the arrest.
The home where the arrest occurred is west of U.S. Highway 411 on a dead-end, one-lane gravel road with scattered homes nearby.
Polk County Sheriff Steve Ross thanked all the agencies that responded to assist in the investigation.
Contact Southeast Tennessee reporter Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.