Man Gets 37 Years For Making Bomb That Injured Officers Explosive Intended For Someone Else, But Officer Opened It During Traffic Stop

A Caldwell man has been sentenced to 37 years in federal prison for making the bomb that ultimately injured two Boise police officers.

Lane LeRoy Clelland, 35, will serve the entire sentence since the federal government has abolished parole. He could have received up to 130 years.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill imposed the lengthy prison term on Monday for the explosion that injured officers David Pogue and Kristopher Ware on Thanksgiving Day last year. Clelland was also convicted on drug and weapons charges from events that occurred two months earlier.

Clelland, who admitted during his June trial that he made bombs that he called fireworks, was accused of putting a box containing a bomb onto the bed of a truck driven by a man he believed was dating his girlfriend.

The box was set to detonate when it was opened. But instead of the driver, the box was opened by Ware during a routine traffic stop, causing him serious eye injuries.

Winmill, citing the seriousness of the incident, pointed out that Clelland would not be released until he is 72.

He said those who commit deliberate antisocial deeds assume the risk of enhanced criminal liability and society must send a strong message that violent crime will not be tolerated.