A Texas man who taught himself how to make and detonate illegal bombs has pleaded guilty to child pornography possession and weapons charges, authorities say.
Burleston resident Noah Robert Calderon, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm on Thursday, according to FOX 4 Dallas.
The FBI received a tip about Calderon’s Internet activity in October 2022, which showed that he was fascinated with mass shootings including the 1999 Columbine massacre. He also reportedly posted pictures of himself holding rifles and wearing tactical vests.
Authorities were tipped off again in March when they were told Calderon detonated a homemade bomb in his neighborhood. In an analysis of his search history, they discovered that he extensively researched public schools in his area.
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“A subsequent search of his Google account revealed queries related to the Columbine killers, the Charleston church shooter, ‘pipe bomb how to make,’ ‘how to make propane bombs,’ and ‘wear [sic] were the propane bombs in Columbine,’ as well as searches of the names of several local public schools,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a press release.
“He also admitted that he stored 659.2 grams of explosive powder, along with a lighter, cannon fuse, cardboard tubing, a glass jar marked ‘frag’ that contained metal ball bearings, lead, a funnel, and measuring spoons, in his garage,” the DOJ added.
When authorities were investigating his cellphone, they found sexually explicit videos from a video chat Calderon had with a 13-year-old girl.
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“In plea papers, he admitted he was aware of the child’s age when he saved the videos,” the DOJ said.
Calderon faces up to 30 years in federal prison, with the child pornography count carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years. He will be sentenced on November 3.
“This defendant’s obsession with mass shooters put him squarely on the Justice Department’s radar. When he violated the law, we took immediate action, potentially thwarting an act of violence,” U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said in a press release. “The discovery of one crime, possession of an unregistered firearm, led to the discovery of another, possession of child pornography. We are proud to hold him accountable for both.”