Two Georgia Men Denied Bond After Charged With Large Cache of Homemade Bombs

Two Georgia men, denied bond, are in jail awaiting court action after they were charged with possessing a large amount of homemade explosive devices.

The Georgia Office of Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal’s Office, along with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, said that Daryl Stamey Sr., 56, and Steven M. Gray, 64, were arrested in mid-July.

Investigators had received a tip and obtained a search warrant for Gray’s home on July 16. Officers with the Rome, Georgia, Police Department found more than 20 devices that had been made at the residence.

“Additional explosive devices and explosive manufacturing materials were located, disarmed, and removed from the residence,” Insurance Commissioner John King’s office said in a statement.

Fox 5 TV News in Atlanta reported that the arrests stemmed from information uncovered in an investigation into a stolen car that was found at a scrapyard. The explosives were detonated by authorities at a secure location.

Judges in the county denied bond for both men, who remained in the Floyd County jail, the sheriff’s office indicated.

It was not reported what the men planned to do with the bombs, but the investigation is continuing, King’s office said. The investigation is a joint effort between the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Rome Police Department, the Floyd County Police Department, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Homemade explosives can cause significant property damage and injuries. In 2020, an apparent lone-wolf suicide bomber detonated a van in downtown Nashville, causing damage to more than 60 properties and triggering multiple insurance claims, some of which are still being litigated. Aspen Specialty Insurance reached a settlement in April with a condominium association. Read more here.

Topics Georgia Numbers