LAKE COUNTY, Fla – A Lake County man was arrested after trying to blow up his own home with homemade explosives Wednesday, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
A woman, who was staying at the home of 55-year-old Markus Fricke, told deputies Friday that Fricke had built several devices with the intent of “blowing up the residence,” reports show.
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Deputies said she told them Fricke was awaiting one last shipment of ammonium nitrate to make it happen.
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After she witnessed Fricke’s plan, she fled from the residence and hid in a wooded area, at which point she contacted law enforcement, according to an affidavit.
Deputies said she told LCSO that Markus Fricke had been making bombs and booby trap devices in his home to blow himself, his residence and the entire street up.
Deputies described Fricke as having an extensive history of unusual and concerning behavior, believing individuals lived in his attic and trespassed on his lawn.
After receiving a warrant, deputies searched Fricke’s home and found several homemade explosive devices and tripwire traps, along with firearms and ammunition.
Deputies added that Fricke did not have a valid license to possess, store or manufacture explosives.
Deputies said Fricke’s neighbors reported he had fired off guns inside his home and set off explosives along his property — which at one point were “forceful enough to shake the walls within their home.”
Fricke was arrested and is being held at the Lake County Jail. He faces charges for making or possessing a destructive device, discharging a destructive device, threatening to throw, project, place, or discharge any destructive device, and possession of a short-barreled shotgun.
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