Police say a jilted lover tried to blow his ex-girlfriend up with a homemade bomb, albeit a very crude device. The county bomb squad says it would have been effective in causing damage, however.
The parts were placed in a tin can then set in a bottle full of lighter fluid.
Sandy Beckner says when she spotted the contraption under her daughter's SUV, she had no idea her daughter's ex-boyfriend, Ryan Derose, had allegedly planted it there.
Authorities say Beckner is fortunate the bomb didn't go off in her hands.
Since finding the device, the family says it has also uncovered threatening text messages Derose sent his ex, promising to blow her up. The daughter's new boyfriend says Derose warned him: "If you hear a loud noise in the middle of the night, just know it's not about you."
Thomas asked police about Derose's intentions.
"We think it was simply to threaten his ex," says Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Jake Smith. "He wasn't satisfied with the way things were left."
"As you can see from the bags under my eyes, I haven't been able to sleep," Beckner said. "I literally have been watching this house 24/7," Beckner said.
After a search of Derosa's house, police have charged him with terroristic threats and possessing a destructive device.
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