BEDFORD, Texas — A U.S. district court judge sentenced a man who detonated an explosive device under a bridge in Bedford in April to 46 months in prison, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
Nicholas Lloyd Nelson, 38, pleaded guilty in June to possession of a destructive device. He was sentenced earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor.
On April 8, a Bedford tactical team took Nelson into custody after connecting him to the detonation of an "unknown explosive device" under Forest Ridge Drive on April 7, according to local officials.
The blast happened at 4:35 p.m. April 7 near a drainage culvert.
Bomb technicians found a crater beneath the bridge, as well as explosive components like a speaker wire and container debris and another un-detonated explosive device along the roadway.
The Northeast Fire Department Association Explosive Response Team then destroyed the other device using a controlled blast around 10:30 p.m. April 7.
Witnesses told law enforcement they noticed Nelson come out from under the bridge shortly after the explosion, according to the news release from the DOJ.
After officials took Nelson into custody, they found other explosive device components at his home. Officials said they also identified Nelson in dozens of YouTube videos that showed him manufacturing and detonating explosive devices, according to the news release.
Nelson admitted, in plea papers, to detonating the device under the bridge in April and explained how he constructed the bombs, according to the news release.
