Police said a Kuna man had explosives in his home. His case was dismissed. Here’s why
Ada County prosecutors said they had “high concerns” after police found explosives in a Kuna man’s home over the summer. Now, the federal government is handling the case.
Tyson Jardine was charged in Ada County with five felony counts of unlawful possession of destructive devices or bombs, but the case wound up getting dismissed twice. There won’t be charges refiled a third time because Jardine has been charged with possession of an unregistered firearm by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Idaho, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Under federal statute, that charge can include “a destructive device.”
“This investigation involves evidence that Jardine possessed destructive devices, which were explosives, without having registered those devices as required by law,” according to the complaint, which was filed by an FBI agent.
Jardine was charged in Ada County in July after his wife found items in their Kuna garage, according to previous Statesman reporting. That happened, authorities said, after a domestic violence incident between Jardine and his wife on July 13. Jardine left and didn’t come back, and he was later taken into custody at a campsite.
His wife filed for divorce, and she and a friend were cleaning out his things when they found chemicals, beakers, glassware, a ballistic vest, two hand grenades and a flashbang device, according to court affidavits.
Law enforcement also found a tennis ball filled with a flammable powder, with bearing balls attached and a fuse, the federal complaint said. Bearing balls can be thrown from the device at high speed during an explosion, according to the complaint.
Police said they also discovered a bomb-making manual.
The initial Ada County case against Jardine was dismissed on Sept. 13 because the state wasn’t ready for a preliminary hearing and Jardine didn’t want the case to be continued, according to court records. Prosecutors refiled the case a few days later, but on Sept. 27, it was dismissed because the state was “unable to proceed to preliminary hearing within the required timeframes,” court documents said.
On Sept. 26, the Department of Justice filed its case. Because of that, Ada County prosecutors will not refile any charges, spokesperson Emily Lowe told the Statesman.
“We appreciate the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for its work on this case and for collaborating with us as we evaluated federal charges,” U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit said in a statement. “Now that the case has been charged federally and is pending, we are unable to comment further outside of the court record.”
The potential federal penalty for possession of an unregistered firearm is up to 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine and a $100 special assessment, according to the complaint.
Ada County court records also show that with the dismissal of the local cases, the judge rescinded a no-contact order that had been issued to Jardine regarding his wife.
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 2:08 PM.
