Man sentenced to prison for leaving pipe bomb in pickup near Baltimore County middle school

A man who built what prosecutors described as a sophisticated pipe bomb and left the device inside his pickup near Pine Grove Middle School in Baltimore County was sentenced on Thursday to serve nine years in prison.

“The facts of this case are terrifying,” Baltimore County Circuit Judge Robert E. Cahill Jr. said as he handed down the punishment for Joseph Richard Vickery, 44, on a charge of attempted manufacturing of a destructive device. “It strikes fear into the heart of everyday Americans.”

Cahill sentenced Vickery, of Wilmington, North Carolina, to serve 25 years in prison, with 16 years suspended, plus five years’ supervised probation. He must undergo screening for mental health issues and complete any recommended treatment.

Read more: The Baltimore Banner