Homemade Explosives, Meth Found In American Canyon Man's Home: Police

AMERICAN CANYON, CA — An American Canyon man who was cited earlier this month when he admitted using a drone to light an M-80-style firework was arrested and booked into Napa County jail Tuesday as a result of a follow-up investigation, police said.

George Wise, 55, was initially contacted around 12:30 a.m. June 4 when the American Canyon Police Department responded to reports of large booms possibly associated with illegal fireworks.

Officers saw fireworks being ignited from a drone in the air and followed it to the 600 block of Kilpatrick Street, where it landed. Police said Wise was holding a drone when officers arrived. Wise admitted to igniting M-80 type explosive devices from the drone, a misdemeanor offense in Napa County, police said. Wise was arrested and issued a misdemeanor citation, and police seized the drone for evidence.

Around 2 p.m. Tuesday of this week, Napa County sheriff's detectives served a search warrant for explosive materials at Wise's residence on Goldeneye Court. During the search, numerous precursors for homemade explosives — HME — were located at the residence, along with fusing systems, remote controls, a hobby fuse, an explosives cookbook, black powder, flash powder, sensitizers, and confinement devices, police said.

"Evidence indicated Wise had manufactured multiple cardboard explosive devices, which he had ignited," police said in a news release. "Wise admitted to making the items and the precursors being used to make HME. He also admitted that the previous item was not an 'M80' but a homemade device he had made."

It is further alleged that in Wise's bedroom, detectives found a small plastic bag containing a white crystalized substance consistent with methamphetamine.

Wise was booked into the Napa County jail on suspicion of felony possession of an explosive device and felony possession of materials with intent to construct an explosive device, as well as misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance (meth).

He remained in custody Thursday with his bail set at $100,000.