Most adults have usual hobbies like reading, gardening or off-roading. However, the same can’t be said for 27-year-old Jaden Ross Vincent and 40-year-old Michael John Wynia. The pair have reportedly been making improvised explosives in their spare time. Imagine making pipe bombs as a hobby.
Vincent and Wynia are suspects in three pipe bomb explosions in Claresholm, roughly 100 kilometres south of Calgary.
The first explosion occurred at a town compost site on March 4, 2023. According to employees, a garbage bin was destroyed by a pipe bomb. Two days later, police were called to investigate an explosion at Amundsen Park at 2 AM.
“They lit the fuse and watched the explosive destroy the garbage receptacle,” the RCMP told Global News.
Nearby camera footage revealed two men walking to a garbage bin and placing a pipe bomb inside.
The last explosion happened in a garage in Claresholm on March 25, 2023.
However, this time it was more than just garbage bins. After the explosion, a witness saw two people carry an injured person into a vehicle and drive away.
A few minutes later, the RCMP were called to the Claresholm hospital after a male was dropped off with serious injuries. The male was none other than Wynia.
Police executed a search warrant at the house the next day and found ammunition, pieces of pipe, an explosive fuse, and fireworks. The ammunition had been cut open to remove the gunpowder.
In addition to Wynia, Vincent was reportedly identified as one of the people inside the garage when the explosion went off. While he escaped injury, he couldn’t escape the law.
Wynia and Vincent are now suspected of the two previous pipe bomb explosions. Vincent is charged with two counts of using explosives with intent, two counts of mischief under $5,000, and two counts of failure to comply with a release order.
On the other hand, Wynia is charged with three counts of making an explosive substance, three counts of mischief under $5,000, three counts of causing an explosion, possession of break-in tools, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Aside from Wynia, no one else was seriously injured in what was likely an accidental garage explosion. However, this shows just how dangerous explosives are, especially improvised ones.
The pair are scheduled to appear in provincial court in Fort Macleod on April 5, 2023.
