North Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Homemade Bomb

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said Thursday that a Burleson man who admired the Columbine High School killers has pleaded guilty to possessing a homemade bomb.

On April 18 a criminal complaint was filed against 22-year-old Noah Robert Calderon, charging him with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of explosive components, and reckless endangerment. He was indicted on these charges on May 10.

On Thursday, he admitted to receiving child p*rnography and possessing a handgun without a license. “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,” said Simonton.

“The discovery of one crime, possession of an unregistered firearm, led to the discovery of another, possession of child p*rnography. We are proud to hold him accountable for both. ”

The tweet below verifies the news:

Noah Robert Calderon, who also was found with child pornography, displayed fascination with high-profile mass shooters, including Columbine High School gunmen, online. https://t.co/XfO8DKA5MB

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram (@startelegram) July 14, 2023

“The collaborative work by the FBI and our law enforcement partners led to today’s outcome which holds Mr. Calderon accountable for creating and possessing a homemade bomb and for possessing explicit videos of a child,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough.

“The FBI is committed to protecting the communities we serve from violent acts and the exploitation of innocent children. We ask the public to remain alert and to continue reporting suspicious or threatening behavior to law enforcement.” The FBI started looking into Calderon’s social media use in October after receiving a tip about it.

According to the court filings, Calderon showed an interest in reading about high profile mass shootings online, specifically the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. He reposted Columbine-themed posts and images of homemade bombs while posting multiple photos of himself wearing a tactical vest and holding an AR-15-style firearm.

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Another bomb threat against Calderon’s Burleson neighborhood was reported to the FBI in March. He admitted buying explosives online in his plea documents. He also owned up to keeping 659.2 grams of explosive powder, a lighter, a cannon fuse, some cardboard tubing, a glass jar labeled “frag” containing metal ball bearings, lead, a funnel, and measuring spoons in his garage.

Searches for local public schools’ names were also uncovered, as were inquiries about the Columbine shooters and the Charleston church shooter, as well as “pipe bomb how to make” and “how to make propane bombs” searches and “wear (sic) were the propane bombs in Columbine” inquiries.

Calderon, in his plea documents, admits to researching bomb-making materials and techniques. S*xually graphic videos from a video conversation between Calderon and a 13-year-old girl were also found on his phone.

According to the plea papers, he stated that he knew the child was underage when he saved the s*xually graphic films. A federal court has sentenced Calderon to between 5 and 20 years for the child p*rnography charge and up to 10 years for the firearms charge.

On November 3 at 9 am, he will be sentenced. The investigation was carried out by the Dallas Field Office of the FBI, the Burleson Police Department, and the Dallas Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

The prosecution team consists of Assistant US Attorney Jay Weimer, along with Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and Jacob Warren from the National Security Division.