KINGMAN, Ariz. – A Bullhead City man who built an explosive device and referenced the Laughlin Bridge as a potential target has drawn a two-year term in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle imposed punishment for Bryan Chambers, 23, during a July 10 sentencing hearing in Kingman.
Chambers is convicted of misconduct involving weapons while other charges, including making a terrorist threat, were dismissed in a plea agreement.
A Bullhead City Police Department investigation was initiated when authorities at a state prison in Yuma reported that a recorded telephone call revealed Chambers told his inmate father about constructing an explosive device and mentioning the Colorado River bridge as a possible target. The device that Chambers called “a firework” was likened to a grenade rather than a larger bomb during the sentencing hearing.
The device was seized during a May 7 search of the residence Chambers inhabited at 793 Church Street. It was safely dismantled by an expert.
A transcript of the phone call with his prison inmate father indicated that Chambers’ issue with the bridge was his view that cameras placed on the structure represented government intrusion upon citizen privacy. He told arresting officers that he was joking when he mentioned the bridge and had no intention of blowing it up or harming anyone.
Defense attorney Ron Gilleo said that Chambers joked about something so serious illustrated his immaturity. He said his judgment was clouded by a cocaine addiction.
“Ignorance in no way is an excuse for my actions,” said Chambers, reading from a prepared statement. He apologized to the court, attorneys, family and the community.
Deputy Mohave County Attorney James Schoppmann said nothing good can come of a drug addict fooling around with explosives. “This really was something that could cause harm,” he said.
Dave Hawkins
