MANCHESTER, Md. — An Ohio man has been federally charged in connection to an October 2020 package bombing in Carroll County.
Prosecutors say Clayton Alexander McCoy, 30, hand delivered a box for the victim at his Manchester home on View Ridge Court.
Upon returning from work, the victim opened it and noticed a second smaller box with a red ribbon inside.
A small nail inserted in that box, needed to be pulled out.
The victim told police he heard a whistling or hissing sound before the package exploded with shrapnel, leaving him hospitalized for weeks with injuries to the chest and legs.
Turns out McCoy knew the victim and his girlfriend through a game called Dagorhir, which involves live war era role play and combat.
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The victim's girlfriend told investigators that McCoy had previously expressed feelings for her, but she turned him down and remained friends instead.
During a search warrant of McCoy's home, detectives found an electronic device which showed he'd searched directions to the victim's home.
Investigators also pulled cell phone records which suggested McCoy had traveled from his home in Ohio to the victim's residence.
A review of a neighbor's home security camera captured a pickup truck, similar to one owned by McCoy’s mother, in front of the victim's home on the day of the explosion.
Detectives connected that with other online search results which showed the gas tank capacity of that type of truck.
McCoy is scheduled to appear before the U.S. District Court in Cleveland, Ohio on March 12. Soon after, he's expected to be extradited to Maryland.
If convicted, McCoy faces up to life behind bars.
