CONCORD – A Webster man was indicted in connection with two pipe bomb explosions in Weare, New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Dale G. Stewart, Jr., 54, was indicted on three counts of possessing an unregistered firearm, specifically a destructive device.  Stewart made an initial appearance in federal court on May 3, 2023, and is detained.

According to the charging documents, Stewart allegedly constructed and detonated two destructive devices in Weare, New Hampshire, on April 26, 2023 and April 27, 2023. In response to the explosions, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Stewart’s vehicle and retrieved an additional destructive device, constructed of white PVC pipe, with glued end caps, wrapped in black electrical tape, with a green hobby fuse protruding from one of the end caps. The destructive device found in the vehicle contained more than 4 ounces of an explosive material, consistent with the manufacturing of the two recovered suspected pipe bombs from the two separate detonation scenes in Weare, New Hampshire.

The charge of possessing an unregistered destructive device provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Weare Police Department, and the Federal Protective Service led the investigation.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New Hampshire State Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar Vega is prosecuting the case. 

            The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.