Mount Pleasant man charged with possessing explosive device

Bail was set at half a million dollars Friday for a Mount Pleasant man charged with possessing a homemade bomb.

The charge, made by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, stems from a search the FBI conducted Thursday at a residence in the Townhomes of Beaumont subdivision.

Sheriff’s Office Maj. Jim Brady said Monday he’s unaware what the federal probe is about. Federal authorities have remained mum concerning the investigation.

Zachary Fasola, 24, of 1108 Monaco Dr. is charged with manufacturing, transporting or possession of a destructive device or explosive parts for damage or injury. He is being held at the Cannon Detention Center, Brady said.

Brady said the FBI called in local authorities on Thursday after discovering explosive materials at Fasola’s home. The sheriff’s office sent its bomb squad. Also responding were the Mount Pleasant police and fire departments and Charleston County EMS.

The entrance to the neighborhood was blocked for hours, and some residents were told to evacuate for the day.

Bomb squad technicians confirmed they found a functioning destructive device: an orange tube with a fuse protruding from one end containing ball bearings and a dark powdery substance.

The device, in a jar in a closet, had a five-inch fuse, the arrest warrant states.

The dark, powdery substance that the warrant said was in the device proved to be “energetic,” and when ignited could have caused a rapid and explosive reaction.

“This in turn confirmed the item as a functioning destructive device,” the warrant states.

Further searching in the home turned up amounts of potassium nitrate, sulfur, charcoal, “and an unknown gray in color energetic powder,” according to the warrant.