A Roanoke man is facing federal charges stemming from a pipe bomb explosion in Blacksburg.
Media outlets report that 23-year-old Derick Gregory Wilson is charged in federal court with illegally possessing an explosive device.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Jacobsen says state charges against Wilson will be dropped.
Wilson is accused of putting a pipe bomb underneath an SUV and setting it off on Aug. 1. No one was injured.
Police arrested Wilson after finding bomb-making materials in a relative's home in Roanoke. According to court documents, they seized a galvanized pipe segment and end cap, a black trash bag containing pyrodex powder, a fuse and a lighter, and several cameras and computers.
Authorities believe Wilson was feuding with his girlfriend's male house guest, who owns the SUV.
The Roanoke Times reported earlier this month that the girlfriend's guest was an ex-boyfriend, Chad Tangchittsumran, according to court records show. She had told Tangchittsumran he could stay with her until a new apartment lease became active.
The two man had verbal arguments and physical altercations before Tangchittsumran moved into the apartment of the woman Wilson had been dating, the warrant said.
A federal magistrate judge ordered Wilson on Monday to undergo a psychiatric examination.
