Dubuque man sentenced to prison for homemade explosive device

A Dubuque man has been sentenced to five years in prison after he was found in possession of an improvised explosive device consisting of 77 metal stick sparklers. 32-year-old Timothy E. Gremmel recently received the sentence after pleading guilty to one count of unauthorized possession of an offensive weapon. The charge stems from an Aug. 20 incident in which court documents state Dubuque police conducted a traffic stop of Gremmel’s vehicle for a parole violation warrant. The traffic stop resulted in an arrest on charges of possession of methamphetamine-third or subsequent offense, unlawful possession of a prescription drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while barred, as well as the warrant charging parole violation. During the traffic stop, officers located an item that appeared to be a homemade bomb. Gremmel told police the device was a “sparkler bomb” he created in July that he planned to detonate on a farm.