POLK COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) -- A man faces more than 25 counts of various charges -- including attempted murder -- after being accused of trying to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) inside an East Tennessee house when authorities came to arrest him Friday.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, detectives and deputies went to an address in Old Fort on Friday, Aug. 1 to look for 54-year-old Kevin Wade O'Neal, who had active arrest warrants for threatening to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.

When authorities arrived at the home, they made contact with O’Neal and took him into custody, but then they noticed something was smoldering in the bedroom where O’Neal had been. Officials said law enforcement saw what they believed to be an IED inside the room, so they immediately evacuated the residence and called the Chattanooga Police Department Bomb Squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to the scene.

While executing a search warrant, the sheriff's office said CPD Bomb Squad officers and ATF agents found 14 IEDs inside the house.

According to the CPD, none of the devices on the premises detonated, allowing all of the first responders to return home safely.

Over the course of their investigation, officials said Polk County detectives and ATF agents discovered O'Neal attempted to detonate the devices when authorities arrived and when they were trying to apprehend him.

The sheriff's office said O'Neal is charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder for the nine detectives and deputies present during the arrest and the two other people who were at the residence. He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.

Law enforcement announced shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2 that O’Neal was being held at the Polk County Jail for the aforementioned charges, but his bond had yet to be determined.

Polk County Sheriff Steve Ross thanked all of the agencies that assisted during this incident and investigation, including West Polk Fire and Rescue, AmeriPro EMS, Tennessee Highway Patrol, the 10th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the ATF, the CPD Bomb Squad, and the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/man-charged-with-11-counts-of-attempted-murder-after-authorities-find-explosive-devices-in-east-tn-home/