Portland police find grenade in home of man accused of building bomb, threatening judge

Jul. 3—Police found a suspected military-grade grenade in the home of a Portland man accused of building a bomb.

Daryl Walsh, 39, was arrested Saturday evening and charged with terrorizing, criminal use of explosives and violation of a protection order after police said he threatened his former domestic partner and a judge.

According to a police report filed in court, Walsh's mother reported him because he was making "very credible," dangerous threats toward his former partner, with whom he was "going through a custody battle" in Massachusetts.

She also told police that Walsh is a veteran with severe post-traumatic stress disorder who served in the infantry for seven years and has expressed suicidal ideations.

Walsh's attorney, Matthew Crockett, said in a brief phone interview Wednesday that Walsh was deployed overseas and appears to have mental health issues. Investigators said in their report that Walsh receives medication through the federal Department of Veterans Affairs for anxiety and chronic pain but is often left without medication for a few days before he can refill the prescription.

Crockett said he hopes Walsh will stabilize after a mental health evaluation and his goal as Walsh's attorney is to help him return to a productive life.

According to the police report, Walsh's mother said he sent her various text messages expressing frustration about domestic disputes and referencing his intent to kill his former partner, a judge and "everyone in this (expletive) courthouse" with a bomb that he's already building.

She told police that he owns guns and has also been involved in domestic disputes with his current girlfriend, who lives with him. His former partner has an abuse prevention order against him, which prevents him from having dangerous weapons.

According to the report, she also warned officers that despite how he appears, Walsh would reluctantly "take out others," and that she was not sure how credible the bomb threat was because he doesn't have much free time and isn't "a master mind."

But police who searched Walsh's apartment in Portland found a heavy, metal grenade with black tape wrapped around the top inside a small black basket.

The officer who wrote the incident report, Matthew Morrison, is a certified bomb technician and said the tape appeared to be a "makeshift safety mechanism," which indicates someone may have tampered with the device as an improvised explosive. Morrison said the grenade was found within feet of possible explosive hazards.

Police also found other firearm parts, accessories and diagrams as well as radio parts. A bulletproof vest was in the back seat of a car in his driveway.

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