Ohio Man Convicted For Throwing Pipe Bombs Onto Tows

An Ohio man faces up to 60 years in prison for throwing pipe bombs onto two tows moving on the Ohio River last year.

A jury convicted Nathaniel Blayn Becker, 42, of Marietta, Ohio, on April 19 of two counts of placement of a destructive device on a vessel and two counts of possession of an unregistered destructive device following a two-day trial in Charleston, W.Va. Court records showed the jury deliberated about one hour before reaching its verdict and that at one point Becker had taken the stand in his own defense.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 18 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Thrown From Bridges

The charges relate to two devices found on separate tows moving on the Ohio River near Parkersburg, W.Va.

On October 21, a deckhand on the mv. Janis R. Brewer of Crounse Corporation located a piece of pipe with end caps and a fuse protruding in an empty barge in the tow as it was upbound just north of Parkersburg. West Virginia State Police bomb technicians disarmed it.

On October 25, the captain and a deckhand of Campbell Transportation Company’s mv. Connie Kay heard a noise as their tow traveled beneath the Interstate 77 bridge and saw two similar looking devices land on the deck of the Connie K.

The jury also heard two more suspected pipe bombs were discovered October 26 by a deckhand on the mv. Findlay, owned by Marathon Petroleum Corporation, shortly after it had passed under the I-77 and Williamstown bridges. However, those devices were found to contain non-explosive septic tank cleaner, so Becker was not charged in connection with that incident.

Seen On Surveillance

Evidence at the trial showed that Becker appeared on security video purchasing pipes and other relevant components of the devices from a Lowe’s store in Marietta, Ohio, on four separate occasions, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Around the time of the first incident, exterior video from Lowe’s and the Walmart in Marietta showed Becker carrying pipe bomb components toward an Ohio River bridge. Security footage showed Becker was driving a red Ford Escape.

An affidavit from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent Sean McNees attached to the criminal complaint showed one of the bombs included a label and bar code that made investigators suspect the component had come from an area Lowe’s store. Store loss prevention officers were able to retrieve transaction details and security footage.

On October 27, investigators were watching vehicles in the area around the Lowe’s store when McNees and an FBI agent saw a red Ford Escape pull into the Lowe’s parking lot. The driver matched the man seen in the surveillance video. He was later identified as Becker. After police performed a traffic stop on the vehicle, Becker was arrested.

While searching the vehicle, investigators found two pieces of pipe and the clothing the man on the surveillance video had been wearing, McNees said in the affidavit.

No One Injured

“We are very fortunate that no one was injured,” U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said in making the announcement of Becker’s conviction. “Such senseless potential for harm and destruction clearly required decisive action. The swift and successful investigation by the law enforcement agencies involved absolutely prevented this situation from becoming worse, and I commend them. I applaud Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua C. Hanks and Nick Miller, along with their trial team, for securing the guilty verdict.”

Thompson also thanked Lowe’s, Walmart and the towboat owners, whom he identified as Crounse Corporation, Campbell Transportation Company and Marathon Petroleum Corporation, for “their extensive cooperation” in the case. 

Becker was on probation at the time of the offenses following an August 2020 conviction in the Washington County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas for failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer. In that case, Becker had brandished a knife at an officer during a traffic stop, led police on a car chase and barricaded himself inside his home before police forced their way inside and arrested him, according to the DOJ.