Former Ohio militia members guilty of explosives charges
Two men, including one from Franklin, who are former members of an Ohio militia group have pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess unregistered explosives.
Ryan D. King, 37, of Frank- lin, and Randy D. Goodman, 53, of Ripley, Ohio, each pleaded guilty on Thursday to violating the National Firearms Act by conspiring to possess destructive devices, according to the Department of Justice. They were arrested in February after an FBI investigation.
Conspiring to possess destructive devices is a crime that carries a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The pair allegedly considered using the same meth- ods as the Boston Marathon bombers to make their explo- sive devices more lethal, according to a federal indict- ment unsealed in February. The indictment said that King and Goodman were members of the United Sheepdogs of Ohio militia group and that there were at least 12 members of this group living throughout the Southern District of Ohio.
The indictment said King and Goodman allegedly established a small subset of the militia group and referred to it as the “Special Proj- ects Team.” The defendants advocated that this team construct, use and stockpile explosives they called “cra- ter makers.” The defendants allegedly conspired to possess and possessed destruc- tive devices in violation of the National Firearms Act, specif- ically, bombs and parts nec- essary to make pipe bombs, the indictment said.
During an Oct. 12, 2018 trip to the Knob Creek Gun Range-Machine Gun Shoot in West Point, Ky., King allegedly purchased a wire assembly and inert grenades and suggested methods “(i) f we want to get real lethal,” to which Goodman commented would make them an elite group, according to the indictment.
At the Dec. 8, 2018 Sheep- dogs’ Christmas party at King’s residence in Frank- lin, King allegedly showed Goodman a collection of parts necessary to make a destructive device, including a steel pipe with end caps, electronic matches and wireless relays, according to the indictment.
Both men allegedly discussed in detail various improvised explosive devices and methods to construct them as well as the ease of placing them under a car seat or car engine wired into the braking, the indictment said.
Also on that date, King displayed a CO2 cartridge that was equipped with a fuse and green electrical tape that was filled with an unknown substance that was referred to as a “crater maker,” the indictment said.
On Jan. 5, 2019, King and Goodman allegedly tested their “crater makers” at Goodman’s home in Ripley. They discussed construction and ignition methods in detail. Goodman referenced the Boston Marathon as an example of a remote detonation system that worked.