CAPE CORAL, Fla. (CBS12) — What began as a routine foot patrol in Cape Coral quickly escalated into a bomb investigation after deputies discovered multiple explosive devices at a transient campsite.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said on June 11 deputies were searching a wooded area near Northeast 24th Avenue and Diplomat Parkway East for a wanted subject when they came across the campsite and noticed several suspicious items that appeared to be homemade explosives.
Body camera footage captured the tense moment deputies realized the potential danger.
“I would just be careful because I don’t know what’s in there,” one deputy said.
Another deputy added, “Be straight with me right now. Is there anything in here that’s going to hurt us by poking our heads inside this tent? It almost looks like it has a fuse or something on the bottom of it. Bomb squad out here, dude. I don’t know. Yeah, because all these pipes here, too.”
A third deputy then called for additional resources, saying, “Let’s pull out. Day shift stumbled upon a homeless camp. It looks like it’s all booby-trapped and it looks like there might be pipe bombs and stuff here.”
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad was called to the scene and secured the area while detectives launched an investigation.
Authorities later obtained a search warrant and recovered seven explosive devices. Investigators said the devices included modified fireworks and a metal pipe device containing energetic powder. Several of the items had been altered with paper clips, pellets and BBs, which were intended to act as fragmentation projectiles if detonated.
Additional body camera footage shows deputies questioning a suspect about the potential danger.
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“What happened? Some little incident in the woods. Anything that would cause concern that might go boom for any reason? I’m asking you, if I send one of my guys down there and say, hey, pick this up, is it going to blow up on them? Or is it freaking something I need to be worried about?” a deputy asked.
The suspect responded, “If they put a fire to it, it won’t do nothing.”
“To your knowledge?” the deputy asked, to which the suspect replied, “No.”
During the investigation, 21-year-old Joshua Mark Antley admitted to constructing the devices and adding the projectiles, telling investigators they were intended to scare away animals.
During the investigation, 21-year-old Joshua Mark Antley admitted to constructing the devices and adding the projectiles, telling investigators they were intended to scare away animals. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Sheriff Carmine Marceno praised deputies and specialized units for their response.
“There is no place for this kind of dangerous behavior in Lee County. I want to recognize the rapid and coordinated response of our Road Patrol deputies, Bomb Squad personnel, and 1st Precinct Crime Section detectives. Their quick action and teamwork ensured these devices were safely recovered before anyone was injured. Let this be clear: if you choose to put our community at risk, you will be identified, you will be arrested, and you will be held fully accountable,” Marceno stated.
Antley was arrested and charged with Making, Possessing, Throwing, Projecting, Placing, or Discharging a Destructive Device. He was transported to the Lee County Jail.
Officials said the swift response by deputies and the bomb squad helped remove potentially dangerous devices before anyone in the Cape Coral community was harmed.