INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 34-year-old man suspected of hallucinating and making an explosive device at his home – which led the bomb squad to be called and caused evacuations for several hours earlier this month – was arrested Thursday.
Patrick Desmond
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
The man – identified as Patrick Desmond – told deputies he was a military veteran who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, reports show. Desmond told deputies there were several individuals surrounding his home with firearms, and that he was going to throw a “gasoline bomb,” authorities said.
Desmond said he made the Molotov cocktail-like device to protect himself, reports show. Inside his home, authorities found more than 40 pages of instructions on how to make improvised explosive devices, officials said.
Deputies arrested Desmond on a warrant on a charge of making or throwing a destructive device. Desmond was being held Friday at the Indian River County Jail on $20,000 bond.
Details on if deputies will charge a woman also involved were not available.
Indian River County deputies received a 911 call from Desmond about 3 p.m. Oct. 1 at his home in the 1300 block of 26th Avenue Southwest, in south county. Desmond said there were six to seven people outside his home who tried to arrest him the night before.
Dispatchers also spoke with the unnamed woman at the same residence, who gave similar statements as Desmond. Deputies arrived at the home, but did not see anyone surrounding the residence.
Deputies spoke with the woman, who was “frantic” and kept seeing people that were not there, reports show. Desmond then walked out the front door carrying a mason jar that contained gasoline, oil and a fertilizer, along with a lighter, authorities said.
Deputies ordered Desmond to put the jar down, and he complied.
Deputies went inside the home and noticed an extreme odor of gas. Deputies and fire rescue crews ordered an evacuation of nearby homes and called the St. Lucie County sheriff’s bomb squad unit.
The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the State Bureau of Explosives also responded to the scene, reports show. The bomb squad found two more “improvised explosive devices” in Desmond’s back yard and safely removed the items.
Residents were allowed back in their homes after the devices were removed.
Desmond and the woman were taken to the Indian River Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. Desmond told deputies he had no intention of hurting law enforcement or anyone in the neighborhood, reports show.
Deputies arrested Desmond and took him to the county jail. Desmond has a mental heath court appearance at 2:30 p.m. Oct 30 and an arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 28, court records show.
