Federal authorities said a Johnston man was charged with improvised explosives discovered and disarmed in Ankeny earlier this month.

According to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa on Tuesday, 46-year-old Chad Allen Williams was arrested on Friday and charged with illegal manufacturing and possession of explosive devices. 

The investigation originated from an explosive device discovered in the middle of Waywin Drive in Ankeny on the morning of June 9. The device was discovered by an 8-year-old girl and disarmed by the Ankeny Police and the Iowa Fire Chief's Office. An agent of the fire chief said that the bomb "is constructed in a way that may explode and cause some damage."

► Previous post: Officials safely disarmed and recovered the explosive device discovered by the 8-year-old Ankeni girl

According to an affidavit submitted by an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, investigators searched Williams’ Johnston residence on Friday and found links to the equipment found in Ankeny. The items and supplies are similar to the items and supplies. According to reports, Williams told investigators that he made the device in his garage, lit the fuse, and then threw it on the street late at night on June 8, but did not hear its sound and thought he was It was run over with the rear wheel of the vehicle.

According to the affidavit, the device consists of two aerial firework shells glued together with tape and a bottle filled with BB and other metal objects, which are then placed in a cardboard box for hiding.

Prosecutors declined to comment on Williams' motives on Tuesday. The court documents did not explain Williams' motives, nor did it explain how law enforcement identified him as a suspect.

► Previously from the state fire chief: A pipe bomb found near the polling station in Ankeny could cause serious injuries

Williams was detained until the detention hearing on June 28, and the trial date has not yet been determined.

The Waywin Drive device was discovered after police said a series of explosions occurred in the Ankeny community near Southeast Elementary School. In March, during a special election related to the Ankeny Community School District, another live explosive device made of PVC pipe was found outside the Ankeny polling station.

William Morris is in charge of the courts for the Des Moines Register. You can reach him at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or @DMRMorris on Twitter.