Merced man accused of having explosives at 21st Street home identified, held on $4M bond

A 52-year-old man arrested at his Merced home Tuesday on accusations of having improvised explosive devices at the residence has been identified as Wes Parker McDaniel.

A possible motive in the case has not been released by Merced police, who have requested the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assist with their investigation.

McDaniel is being held on $4 million bond at the Merced County Jail.

Possible charges he may face include felony possession of exploding or destructive device with intent to injure or destroy property, felon in possession of firearm, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, according to jail records.

McDaniel was taken into custody after Merced police detectives and the Merced Police Department’s Bomb Squad located the improvised explosive devices while serving a search warrant at his residence in the 1000 block of West 21st Street near R Street.

Merced Police Lt. Emily Foster said the search warrant was served in connection with an ongoing investigation.

According to police, McDaniel is believed to have been acting alone and there are no other outstanding suspects at this time.

“We located various items of evidence that would be involved in making the improvised explosive devices,” said Foster.

Police said the explosive devices found during the search were not modified fireworks and appear to be homemade explosives. The Merced Police Department Bomb Squad is continuing its investigation.

Police also located firearms at the residence as well as drug paraphernalia. According to Foster, McDaniel is a convicted felon who police have had prior contact with.

This story was originally published June 23, 2021 at 3:08 PM.