Iowa man admits to placing pipe bombs on Des Moines golf course, pleads guilty to lesser charges

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines man who allegedly placed pipe bombs on a golf course over the summer has pled guilty.

On July 10 Waveland Golf Course in Des Moines was evacuated and shut down after an improvised explosive device, or IED, was discovered on the golf course by a golfer. The Des Moines Police Department Bomb Squad was called in to investigate the device, which was determined to be a pipe bomb, the DMPD said.

Out of abundance of caution, the pipe bomb was detonated where it was located, an area police said was rarely walked on. No injuries were reported, and no additional dangerous items were discovered.

Michael Valento (WHO).

The DMPD said that evidence collected at that time pointed them to 41-year-old Michael James Valento, and a search warrant was executed at his home in the 5700 block of University Avenue the following day.

Court records also accuse Valento of placing a pipe bomb and detonating it on the golf course the week prior.

Valento was arrested and originally charged with two counts of Possession of an Explosive or Incendiary Device with Intent, class C felonies; First-Degree Arson, a class B felony; Third-Degree Arson, an aggravated misdemeanor; and Dominion or Control of a Firearm/Offensive Weapon by a Domestic Abuse Offender, a class D felony.

According to a plea filed in September, Valento pled guilty to two counts of the lesser charge of Possession of an Explosive Device or Explosive Material, an aggravated misdemeanor, and Domestic Abuser in Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition, a class D felony.

During a hearing on Thursday a Polk County judge accepted Valento’s guilty plea. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 20.

Metro news

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