New Mexico man sentenced for playground ‘pipe bomb’ incident

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A man from Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been sentenced. Authorities reported he had been found with a pipe bomb and ammunition near a playground in 2023.

Court documents stated Nathan Wallace, 41, was seen in May 2023 at a children’s playground of East Mesa Baptist Church. The Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department arrested him, and they reported they found a “destructive device” and ammunition. Wallace reportedly admitted to having a metal pipe with gunpowder, which was identified as an “operational pipe bomb.”

The pipe bomb was confiscated and analyzed. Authorities searched his belongings and found a shotgun shell, a motion sensor, two cell phones, and modified batteries and wires.

Wallace had felony convictions, so he was not allowed to have firearms or ammunition. He reportedly admitted to having the ammunition even though he was a felon.

Wallace was sentenced to 52 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

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