A Malvern man was sentenced Tuesday to more than three years in prison for having a collection of homemade bombs at his house — a discovery police made after he was arrested for bringing guns to a “No Kings” protest in West Chester last year.
Kevin Krebs, 32, apologized for his actions, saying he’d let his family down and adding: “I really screwed up, and I regret everything that I did.”
His family said in court that Krebs — who was adopted from a Lithuanian orphanage as a toddler — had suffered from lifelong developmental disabilities, including autism. And they believed his interest in bombs and firearms was part of an obsessive nature that he also displayed in other, non-threatening technical areas, such as electrical work, which he performed professionally.
Krebs told U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Costello that he had only built the bombs to blow up pumpkins in the Poconos, calling his pursuit “purely recreational.”
Costello said she wasn’t sure that was true. And in any case, she said, his possession and interest in building such devices was a threat to himself and others.
“Just having these bombs in your home posed a grave danger to other people,” Costello said.
In addition to imposing a 37-month prison sentence, Costello ordered Krebs to serve three years of supervised release. He had pleaded guilty in December to a charge of possessing unregistered devices.
A firearms case remains pending in Chester County, with a trial scheduled to begin next week, according to court records.
The events that led to Krebs’ arrest began last June, when attendees at a “No Kings” protest in West Chester told officers they thought Krebs had been carrying a gun.
Police who stopped Krebs found him carrying a loaded handgun, extra rounds of ammunition, and other weapons including a knife and bayonet, prosecutors said. He also had an AR-15 rifle in his car.
Read more House of the week: A 19th-century twin in Chestnut Hill for $699,900
He did not have a concealed carry permit, and Chester County prosecutors charged him with illegal gun possession.
Two days later, police searched his home on Conestoga Road and found 13 homemade pipe bombs, prosecutors said, some of which contained nails or screws, which can make the devices more violent when they detonate. Investigators also found components used to make detonators and tactical vests, which prosecutors said demonstrated that he wasn’t simply experimenting with explosives — he was building an “arsenal” of dangerous weapons.
County prosecutors charged Krebs with new crimes including possessing weapons of mass destruction and causing a catastrophe, and federal prosecutors went on to adopt the portions of the case that related to explosives.
Krebs’ case attracted attention in part due to its connection to the No Kings demonstration, an occasionally recurring event at which protesters across the country rally against President Donald Trump. But prosecutors said Krebs’ beliefs and potential motives were not particularly clear.
Krebs was a registered Democrat but had previously been registered as a Republican and said online that he voted for Trump. Writing online, Krebs later said he came to regret that vote, and before the No Kings event, he had been posting violent rhetoric about Trump and police.
Krebs said in court Tuesday that he attended the protest “in support of the rally,” but he did not elaborate.
Krebs’ parents told Costello, the judge, that they harbored deep remorse and shame for failing to recognize their son’s drift toward dangerous habits.
But Costello said they’d done everything they could to provide their son a better life — welcoming him into a safe home, providing him structure and support, and seeking to connect him with therapy and medications throughout his life.
“This is not your fault,” Costello said. “This was Mr. Krebs’ doing, and he’s going to have to face the consequences of that.”
Read more They wanted to recreate childhood Shore memories. So they rebuilt a house in Strathmere