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DPS Arrests Mesa Man For Having Over 40 Explosive Devices In His Home

A Mesa man was arrested after authorities discovered that he was in possession of prohibited weapons, including over 40 pipe bombs.

Last week, the Arizona Department of Public Safety task force, including ATF agents and Phoenix police, conducted a traffic stop on 51-year-old Jeffrey Metcalf.

Inside his vehicle, police found bomb-making materials and learned that Metcalf also had pipe bombs at his residence. Reportedly Metcalf informed officials he had plans to dispose all of the materials into an undisclosed body of water.


DPS reported that after conducting a search warrant of Metcalf’s residence, authorities safely recovered 42 pipe bombs. In addition to many other materials used for manufacturing at least another possible 30 bombs. The devices were determined to be designed to have enhanced lethality because Metcalf had added shrapnel to each one of the devices either internally or externally.

With the assistance of the Mesa Police Department, the task force evacuated homes in the area to insure the bombs and materials were safely removed and taken to a disposal area.

Craig Henry, a neighbor of Metcalf said, “He was pretty open that he had PTSD and that’s why he was separated from the military. You don’t make bombs just for the practice, he obviously had something in mind to use them for.”

Colonel Frank Milstead, Director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety stated, “This situation could’ve had tragic consequences had it not been for the excellent work of DPS detectives, our counterparts at Phoenix and Mesa Police along with ATF. The investigation was yet another shining example of the unparalleled cooperation we enjoy in Arizona between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies”.

“The cooperative efforts of the AZDPS task force worked quickly and decisively to ensure public safety was not compromised”, said ATF Phoenix Field Division Special Agent in Charge John Durastanti.

Metcalf will face 40 counts of prohibited weapons, manufacturing, possession, and selling charges.