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Haverhill man pleads guilty to building bomb with ‘300-meter radius’
David Farnsworth, 64, was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years in prison.
A Haverhill man pleaded guilty to possession of an explosive device powerful enough to impact anyone within a 300-meter radius, or about .2 miles, according to the Essex’s District Attorney’s Office.
David Farnsworth, 64, reportedly built the incendiary device in his home on Rosebud Avenue in Haverhill.
In June 2024, Haverhill Police responded to a report about Farnsworth saying he was “building a bomb to kill himself and others” and that “the bomb was ready to go off with minimal movement,” Assistant District Attorney Maria Markos said in court.
In a subsequent search of Farnsworth’s home, the Massachusetts Bomb Squad evacuated neighboring homes and reported locating the explosive device and related materials, which Markos said were a “recipe” for a bomb.
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After his arraignment in Haverhill District Court, Farnsworth was determined to be a danger to the public and held, according to the district attorney’s office.
In Essex Superior Court on Friday, Farnsworth pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing an incendiary device and one count each of: carrying a firearm without a license, possessing a large-capacity firearm, carrying a firearm without a firearm identification card, and possessing ammunition without a firearm identification card.
One of the firearm-related charges resulted from police stopping Farnsworth in Wrentham, where they reported finding him in possession of a firearm without valid licensing on the day the police and bomb squad searched his home.
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Farnsworth was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years in prison followed by three years of probation. While on probation Farnsworth will undergo mental health evaluation and treatment and may not possess firearms, incendiary devices, or components of incendiary devices, according ot the court.
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