Malone Man Arrested After Explosives Found On His Property

A Hill County man is in serious trouble after authorities say they found explosive devices on his property and one under a bridge. Investigators think he’s behind instances of explosive noises at night that disrupted a small Central Texas town.

Explosives Taken from Malone Home

Michael Louis Degner of Malone, 48, was arrested July 25 after Hill County deputies executed a search warrant at his home on West Hackberry Street in Malone, Texas. The deputies say they found fuses, pill bottles, electrical tape, and Tannerite, a commercially available binary explosive compound, made from aluminum powder and ammonium nitrate. Hill County authorities say they also found a powder that looked like flash powder and a black cylinder with a green fuse.

Neighborhood Affected by Explosive Noises

Residents of Penelope, immediately south of Malone, had reported hearing explosive noises on several nights leading up to Degner’s arrest. One neighbor reported to authorities that he witnessed Degner throw something with a burning fuse onto his property, where it exploded a moment later, shaking his house. Another neighbor, approximately two football fields away, said the explosion rattled the pictures on the wall and upset her daughter who was asleep.

Live IED Found on Local Bridge

The same day the neighbor made his report to authorities, a live improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered from Ash Creek Bridge along FM 308 in Hill County. The bridge was temporarily closed while the McLennan County Bomb Squad was called out to safely remove and detonate the IED.

Devices Matched

The Hill County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the object found at Degner’s house was the same type of explosive as the one that was recovered from the bridge. Both devices were made from pill bottles, fuses, a powder substance, and electrical tape. Bomb technicians reported that both devices detonated similarly when detonated under controlled or measured conditions.

Degner faces disorderly conduct, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, and possession of explosive components with intent to use in a criminal act. The Hill County authorities state they continue to investigate the case.