North Texas man who idolized Columbine shooters pleads guilty to possessing homemade bomb
A Burleson man who idolized the Columbine High School shooters pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing a homemade bomb, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Noah Robert Calderon, 22, was charged on April 18 via criminal complaint with possession of prohibited weapons, possession of components of explosives, and deadly conduct and was indicted on May 10.
He pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of receipt of child pornography.
“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 pornography. We are proud to hold him accountable for both. ”
“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 investigation began in October, when the FBI received a tip about Calderon’s social media activity.
Court documents said that Calderon displayed a fascination with high-profile mass shootings online, particularly the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School. He posted several images of himself in tactical-style vests posing with AR-15-style rifles and shared Columbine-themed posts along with images of homemade explosives.
In March, the FBI received another tip that Calderon had detonated a homemade bomb in his residential neighborhood in Burleson.
In plea papers, he admitted that he had purchased explosive substances online. He also admitted that he stored 659.2 grams of explosive powder, along with a lighter, a cannon fuse, cardboard tubing, a glass jar marked “frag” that contained metal ball bearings, lead, a funnel, and measuring spoons, in his garage.
A subsequent search of his Google account revealed queries related to the Columbine gunmen, the Charleston church shooter, a “pipe bomb how to make” search, a “how to make propane bombs” search, and a “wear (sic) were the propane bombs in Columbine” search, as well as searches of the names of several local public schools.
In plea papers, Calderon admitted to searching information on how to make a bomb.
A search of his phone also revealed sexually explicit videos taken from a video chat between Calderon and a 13-year-old girl.
He admitted he was aware of the child’s age when he saved the sexually explicit videos, according to plea papers.
Calderon faces up to 30 years in federal prison — up to 10 years on the firearm count plus anywhere from five and 20 years on the count of child pornography.
His sentencing is set for 9 a.m. on Nov. 3.
The FBI’s Dallas Field Office, the Burleson Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer is prosecuting the case with National Security Division Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and Jacob Warren.
