Stemming from a late July arrest for driving around town with a
homemade bomb, a Hollister man was sentenced to nearly six years in
state prison for possession of a destructive device and violation
of probation.
He was originally charged for possession of an explosive device
and transportation of a destructive device. Ultimately, he pled
guilty only to the possession charge Oct. 22, according to Deputy
District Attorney Denny Wei.
Stemming from a late July arrest for driving around town with a homemade bomb, a Hollister man was sentenced to nearly six years in state prison for possession of a destructive device and violation of probation.
He was originally charged for possession of an explosive device and transportation of a destructive device. Ultimately, he pled guilty only to the possession charge Oct. 22, according to Deputy District Attorney Denny Wei. That charge carried a maximum sentence of three years. But it was coupled with violation of probation for both possession and sale of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school in November 2002.
The device Garcia pled guilty to possessing, according to Wei, was an “M-80” like apparatus with a fuse. Police have reportedly described it as two cylindrical objects taped together.
“I’ve heard people say it’s a really serious device,” Wei said. “You can really hurt someone with that, injure them, even kill.”
Police were called to the 1100 block of Central Avenue in the early morning hours of July 25. Garcia was allegedly beating his girlfriend.
He had fled before they arrived, but officers searched his car and discovered the bomb. The Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department bomb squad arrived, identified the device and later detonated it in an open field near Calaveras School.
