PALM COAST, Fla. — The Flagler County Sheriff's Office has arrested a man they said detonated a pipebomb at his Palm Coast home in 2022.
Jason Burns, 49, was arrested at his Bronson Lane home Thursday around 10 p.m., police said. Burns was charged with arson and making, placing or possessing a destructive device with property damage.
On Jan. 27, 2022, the agency received two 911 calls about a loud explosion, which was followed by a bright light and smoke near 30 Poppy Lane in Palm Coast. Deputies smelled a "strong odor of gas and smoke in the air and observed remnants of a blast from an improvised explosive device."
Homes were damaged, but residents were not injured. Detectives concluded a pipebomb left a 1-inch-deep crater, 12 inches wide.
Police said Burns, who resided at 27 Poppy Lane, was identified as a person of interest due to his hostility toward the victims.
"Burns was also known to the Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and local businesses for being a prolific writer who wrote, distributed and mailed rambling rants about various claims against government, elected officials and businesses," the sheriff's office said in a release.
FCSO and the ATF served a search warrant at his residence where they seized items that were consistent with material found at the crime scene, including a drill bit with PVC residue, caulking used to seal the pipe bomb and a sock matching a sock found in the IED.
On Jan. 4, 2023, detectives obtained a search warrant for Burn’s DNA, the sheriff's office said, which later determined the DNA found at the scene of the blast was a match for Burns.
Burns also faces an additional charge for violating his probation, stemming from a 2023 arrest for stalking his ex-wife, the agency said, where he placed multiple letters in her mailbox with one containing white powder.
Burns is currently being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on $75,000 bond.
