Man found with bomb in his vehicle near Willmar pleads guilty

A Granite Falls man who had a bomb in his vehicle north of Willmar last summer pleaded guilty to a drug charge and a charge of possessing an explosive device Monday morning.

Randy Frederiks, age 31, appeared before Judge Steven Wentzell for a pre-trial hearing in Kandiyohi County District Court Monday morning, and pleaded guilty to Count 1 of five charges against him: Possession of an Explosive or Incendiary Device After Having Been Convicted of a Previous Violent Crime.

Court records say Frederiks was sitting in a pickup on the side of North 1st Street , north of Willmar, when a deputy checked on him and started running his license plate number. Frederiks ran from the vehicle and fled into a cornfield. While taking inventory of the truck, deputies found an object that appeared to be a bomb. It was covered with black electrical tape and had a detonating fuse, and inside was gunpowder. The Minneapolis Bomb Squad determined it contained explosive components, and they rendered it safe at the time. They also found methamphetamine and hypodermic needles in the vehicle.

Frederiks was arrested two days later in Willmar and admitted he had made the explosive device, but said it was a sparkler.

A pre-sentence investigation was ordered, and Frederiks will be sentenced March 31st. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of 5th Degree Drug Possession, and must undergo a pre-sentence and a drug dependency evaluation. He faced a total of seven charges, and it’s expected five will be dismissed in exchange for his two guilty pleas.

(JP Cola, KWLM)