A federal jury in West Virginia has convicted an Ohio man of all four counts charging him in connection with pipe bombs found on tugboats on the Ohio River.
Law enforcement officers recovered the devices from two different tugboats moving barges on the Ohio River on October 21 and October 25, 2021.
Evidence at trial revealed Nathaniel Blayn Becker, 42, appeared on security video purchasing pipes and other components of the devices from a Lowe’s store in Marietta on four separate occasions and close in time to when the devices were found. Around the time of the first incident, exterior security video from Lowe’s and a nearby Walmart showed Becker carrying pipe bomb components toward an Ohio River bridge.
Investigators believe the pipe bombs were dropped onto the tugboats from the bridge.
Nathaniel Blayn Becker
Becker was found guilty of two counts of possession of an unregistered destructive device and two counts of placement of a destructive device on a vessel. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18, 2022, and faces up to 60 years in prison.
The jury also heard that similar devices were discovered on a third tugboat moving barges on the Ohio River on October 26, 2021. However, those devices were found to contain non-explosive septic tank cleaner and therefore Becker was not charged.
Becker was on probation at the time of the offense, following an unrelated conviction in August 2020.
“We are fortunate that no one was injured. Such senseless potential for harm and destruction clearly required decisive action,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson in making the announcement. “The swift and successful investigation by the law enforcement agencies involved absolutely prevented this situation from becoming worse, and I commend them. I applaud Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua C. Hanks and Nick Miller, along with their trial team, for securing the guilty verdict.”
Thompson also thanked Lowe’s, Walmart and the tugboat owners, identified as Crounse Corporation, Campbell Transportation Company and Marathon Petroleum Corp., for their extensive cooperation in the case as well.
Container ship bookings for China-to-U.S. cargo have surged since the countries declared a 90-day truce on punitive tit-for-tat tariffs last weekend, operators said, spawning traffic jams at Chinese ports and factories that could take weeks to clear.
Container freight spot rates shot up on the transpacific trades this week, with an immediate surge in demand following news of a new 90-day hiatus in the China-US trade war.
Importers rushing to ship Chinese goods to the US using a short reprieve from paralyzing tariffs could provide a much-needed boost to global freighters.
May 16, 2025
Total Views: 423
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 109,046 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 109,046 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.