Council Bluffs man sentenced to prison for placing explosive devices at Omaha residence

A Council Bluffs, Iowa, man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for placing more than a dozen homemade explosive devices around a detached garage and vehicle in Omaha.

Ricky Wynn, 61, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter Jr. for transporting explosive materials with intent to injure.

An investigation and search of Wynn’s apartment, garage and vehicle found evidence that he had assembled 13 explosive devices found at an Omaha residence near 40th and Y Streets on Jan. 30 by Omaha police and fire personnel.

Twelve of the devices were “Molotov cocktail” type devices, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Omaha. The 13th device contained an “energetic powder” (consistent with smokeless powder) and nails and screws.

Court records indicate that a wick leading to the 13th device had been lit but failed to detonate.

Residents at the Omaha home said they had had a dispute with Wynn and had previously obtained a protection order against him. Once, they said, he threw coffee on them following an argument in November 2020.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Omaha Police Department and the Omaha Fire Department.

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