An Escondido man who was making bombs from fireworks and had a stockpile of guns in his home avoided jail at his sentencing Monday.
Richard Hinkel was sentenced Monday to 180 days in a work program according to our media partners the North County Times.
Escondido police arrested after they discovered he was taking the fireworks apart to turn them into explosive devices. Officials also impounded a dozen rifles and 10 handguns from the home.
His attorney, William L. Wolfe, said Hinkel and his friends would blow up the devices for fun in the desert.
Hinkel pleaded guilty to illegal fireworks and weapons charges.
A judge ruled he wasn't a community threat.
Hinkel was arrested just 10 days after George Jakubec, who lived two miles away, was arrested for having a bomb-making factory at his home.
Jakubec went to jail and that home, called the "Bomb House" was burned as a safety hazard.
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