Edgewater man arrested after homemade Pipe Bomb found at car wash.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

An alarming discovery led to the arrest of Anthony Ray West, a 58-year-old electrical engineer from Edgewater, on Wednesday night after the Volusia County Sheriff's Office bomb squad unearthed a homemade pipe bomb concealed within a car wash trash can.

According to a release, the investigation of this incident began after West’s wife alerted authorities that he had bomb-making materials. With the couple going through a divorce, West had left their home in Deltona with duffel bags of those materials. Before he left, West's wife had taken photos of the contents, including the pipe bomb. Deputies, acting on this crucial information, tracked down West to his room in Edgewater, searching the duffel bags and finding a range of materials associated with bomb-making, including instructional books and manuals; however, deputies noticed the pipe bomb was missing.

When questioned during a Wednesday evening interview, West admitted he planted a homemade pipe bomb Wednesday inside a trash can at the Wally Wash at 1317 S. Ridgewood Avenue in Edgewater. In his confession, West provided details about the pipe bomb's composition, describing it as a galvanized pipe containing black powder, secured by two endcaps and a fuse.

West explained that he had manufactured the pipe bomb a while ago, stating he never intended to employ it or any other explosive device for malicious purposes. According to his account, he had forgotten that the pipe bomb remained within his duffel bag until his wife alerted him to the impending bomb squad investigation. In a state of panic, he hastily discarded the device at the car wash.

Volusia Sheriff's Office bomb squad arrived promptly at the Wally Wash in response to the report. They quickly located a suspicious box within a trash can near the facility's vacuums. An X-ray examination confirmed the presence of the pipe bomb within the box.

Authorities swiftly evacuated the area and moved the device to a secure facility operated by the Volusia Sheriff's Office. There, experts from the bomb squad initiated the process to render the device safe, ensuring the safety of the public and law enforcement personnel involved.

Anthony Ray West faces charges for manufacturing an explosive device and possessing materials for creating such devices. West is in custody at the Volusia County Branch Jail on a $20,000 bond.