The Associated Press
Erwin, Tenn. (AP) -- Police say a man they caught making hand grenades had a cache of other weapons, 1,000 rounds of ammunition and moonshine in his home here.
Randy Williamson, 49, was arrested Monday after police said they learned the man was selling them for about $150 each.
“He could have wreaked havoc,” said Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris.
“One (grenade) is too many on the street; they are extremely dangerous not only to us but to the general public.” Harris said police had previously bought two grenades from him. They picked up three more while exercising a search warrant last night.
Williamson has been charged with manufacturing explosives, possession of untaxed liquor, possession of marijuana and possession of illegal weapons for resale. He was turned over to federal authorities.
“We figure he was buying gunpowder, (blasting) caps and some parts could have been stolen from the military. We’re still investigating the matter,” Harris said. “At this point we can’t say for sure where all the materials came from.”
Williamson once served about two years in federal prison in the mid-1990s for making pipe bombs, police said.