Police found more than a dozen improvised explosive devices in the residence of a Tennessee man who allegedly threatened to kill local public officials and law-enforcement officers.
Polk County sheriff’s deputies went to the ramshackle wooded home of Kevin Wade O’Neal, 54, who had several outstanding warrants for the alleged threats, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Kevin Wade O’Neal, 54, was hit with multiple attempted-murder and prohibited-weapons charges. Polk County Sheriff's OfficeFor months, O’Neal had made increasingly unhinged comments on social media — including death threats — claiming the sheriff’s office had been stalking him, deliberately ignoring criminal activity and using “Wiccan magic” to engage in “electronic torture,” according to the New York Times.
He would frequently ask Facebook friends if they knew the address of Sheriff Steve Ross — whom he routinely referred to as a “demon possessed man,” the outlet said.
After deputies placed O’Neal under arrest, they noticed something that appeared to be an IED “smoldering” inside the bedroom where they found him, officials said.
Officers immediately evacuated the home and summoned officers with the Chattanooga Police Department Bomb Squad as well as Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) members.
Sheriffs deputies found multiple crudely made improvised explosive devices in O’Neal’s Tennessee home, authorities said. Polk County Sheriff's OfficeThe officers found 14 crudely made IEDs inside the home and learned O’Neal had attempted to detonate them as he was being detained, the sheriff’s office said.
Amber Lilley, O’Neal’s niece, told the outlet his anger at the sheriff’s office was the result of a fight he was having with a former friend. She said her uncle became convinced the friend and public officials were part of a “satanic witchcraft cult” using “electronic forms of torture” to “drive people crazy and manipulate their lives.
She said he was deeply mentally disturbed and struggled with substance abuse, noting their family had unsuccessfully tried to find the treatment he needed after his mental health worsened over the years, culminating with violent outbursts and hallucinations.
“I didn’t think this situation would ever have an ending where somebody wasn’t hurt,” she told the outlet. “He needed help, but there was no help.”
O’Neal was slapped with nine counts of attempted first-degree murder, one for each of the nine Polk County detectives and deputies who were present during the arrest.
He also got an additional two attempted first-degree murder charges for two other people who were inside the residence at the time.
O’Neal allegedly tried to detonate the devices when authorities came to his home to arrest him. Polk County Sheriff's OfficeO’Neal is also facing 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components for the makeshift bombs.
He’s being held at Polk County Jail, and his bond has yet to be determined, officials said.
It was not immediately known whether O’Neal had retained or been assigned an attorney.






