FREETOWN, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – A 25-year-old New Bedford man accused of setting off an explosive device in Freetown was ordered held without bail Wednesday after a judge deemed him potentially dangerous to the community.
Derek Faisca-Ribeiro was arrested Wednesday and charged with possessing substances used to create a destructive device, launching a destructive device, discharging an explosive device to injure property, and possession of a destructive device.
According to police, a Freetown police officer noticed Faisca-Ribeiro stopped on Chace Road with a mattress tied to the roof of his car at about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. Faisca-Ribeiro told the officer he was just making sure the mattress was secure.
When police arrived, they found a small fire, remains of a mattress, and debris in nearby trees. The Mass. State Police Bomb Squad was called and an alert was issued for a male suspect and vehicle.
However, about 30 minutes later, 911 calls were made reporting an explosion and fire on Slab Bridge Road near Profile Rock. The explosion reportedly shook a house 200 yards away.
Just after 6 a.m., police said they located the vehicle and the suspect, later identified as Faisca-Ribeiro.
During questioning by the FBI, ATF, state police and Freetown police, Faisca-Ribeiro said he bought fireworks in New Hampshire and was going to use them to get rid of an old mattress; however, authorities said there are holes in his story.
"He denied that he altered these devices at all. He just claimed they were out of the package, but a search of the defendant's home revealed what the bomb squad believed was a tube the defendant had placed gun powder in. The bomb squad concluded he likely had taken gun powder from all of these rockets and actually had put them into a tube and made an actual explosive device by closing up the tube on either end, and he wasn't just lighting fireworks off," a state's attorney said.
Additionally, police said they found materials related to the Freetown explosion and military manuals for IEDs at the suspect's home. Police said Faisca-Ribeiro got the manuals during military service as a combat engineer. Police said he was "separated" from the military in 2011 for misconduct, a marijuana charge.
Faisca-Ribeiro will remain in lock up until a detention hearing Oct. 25.