MONTROSE, Pa. — A man who state police said shot his mother-in-law earlier this year is facing new charges on counts he built, and stored, dozens of illegal homemade explosives around his Susquehanna County home.
Thomas E. Wood, 62, of Montrose, admitted to the state police during last August’s investigation into the shooting of Janice O’Brien, Wood’s mother-in-law, that he makes explosives. Members of his family said much the same, state police said.
That prompted authorities to search his home. Initially, they found nothing. During a second search, a member of Wood’s family led state police to a gas grill containing 58 self-made explosive devices that a bomb technician, Scranton Police Sgt. William Turner, told investigators could cause “immense destruction.”
Wood was charged this week with 58 counts of possessing weapons of mass destruction and one count of recklessly endangering another person.
He’s been locked up in Susquehanna County since his arrest Aug. 25 on attempted homicide. In that case, Wood allegedly fired a gun during a domestic dispute.
The bullet struck O’Brien, his mother-in-law, in the leg. She was treated at a hospital.
Wood is awaiting trial on that case and has a preliminary hearing scheduled Dec. 2 for the new charges.
