(NewsNation) — A collection of homemade bombs and a failed detonation have landed an East Tennessee man behind bars, now facing two dozen criminal charges.
Police found 14 improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home Friday while executing an existing search warrant for threatening to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
The 54-year-old faces 11 counts of first-degree attempted murder after allegedly trying to detonate the bombs as police arrived to his home, which is on the Tennessee-Georgia border, east of Chattanooga.
Chattanooga Police Department Bomb Squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives responded to the scene when authorities discovered smoke inside a room. None of the devices successfully detonated, and no one was hurt.
O’Neal faces 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder of detectives, deputies and other people at the residence. He is also charged with 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components, a Polk County Sheriff’s Office press release said.
Police found 14 improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home on Aug. 1, 2025, while executing an existing search warrant. (Courtesy Polk County Sheriff’s Office) 
Police found 14 improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home on Aug. 1, 2025, while executing an existing search warrant. (Courtesy Polk County Sheriff’s Office) 
Police found 14 improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home on Aug. 1, 2025, while executing an existing search warrant. (Courtesy Polk County Sheriff’s Office) 
Police found 14 improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home on Aug. 1, 2025, while executing an existing search warrant. (Courtesy Polk County Sheriff’s Office)