A 51-year-old Eastern Shore man has been charged with building and selling improvised bombs after investigators spent four months trying to learn the source of loud noises in Queen Anne's County, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal.
Dale Anthony Rocknak of Lee Road in Chester was charged in a criminal summons with five counts of manufacturing and selling explosive devices. He faces a maximum 20 years in prison if convicted of each count; his trial is scheduled for June.
A statement from the Fire Marshal's Office says that investigators have been searching for the source of the loud noise for months and identified Rocknak as a suspect. The statement says that undercover deputies bought several explosive devices, including some known as M1000's or "1/4 sticks."
The authorities said they searched the man's house and found "all the required components for manufacturing additional devices."
Rocknak could not be reached for comment.