‘Embarrassed,’ ‘shocked’ in pipe bomb case, Idaho man sentenced to prison

BOISE – On New Year’s Day, the Payette Police Department arrested a man over allegations that he brought a pipe bomb onto a train car, prompting the involvement of the FBI.

Months later, the criminal case against the man from Payette, Idaho, ended without any charges related to the explosive.

Brent Sharrai, 41, accepted a plea deal with the Payette County Prosecutor’s Office, agreeing to plead guilty to a drug-related felony for possession of methamphetamine. In exchange, all other charges were dropped.

Third Judicial District Judge Kiley Stuchlik sentenced Sharrai to at least one year in prison before he’s eligible for parole, but Sharrai could spend up to another six years in prison, depending on his behavior while he’s incarcerated. He could also spend that time on parole.

The Payette Police Department said it received a report “regarding a suspicious subject” who was seen near a parked railroad car “attempting to light something on fire,” the Idaho Statesman previously reported. Payette Police Chief Gary Marshall said at the time that officers located a “pipe bomb-style device” made out of polyvinyl chloride plastic on a step connected to the outside of a train car.

“The Nampa Bomb Squad utilized their specialized robot to remove the IED from the train car and later detonated the device to render it safe,” police said.

Sharrai was apprehended after a short pursuit and charged with felony possession of a destructive device and felony possession of a controlled substance after detectives found meth inside his trailer. He also faced two misdemeanor charges, for drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest.

The incident halted trains in the area for hours and garnered FBI involvement. Sharrai’s Boise-based attorney, Jolene Maloney, said that the incident was sensationalized and that the deal dismissing the possession of a destructive device charge reflected that Sharrai wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.

Her client wasn’t building a bomb, she said, but instead planning to light off fireworks.

“This was not intended to cause the harm that it did,” Maloney said in court. “He was so embarrassed and so shocked that it turned into this.”

Payette County Deputy Prosecutor Jeffrey Phillips disagreed. He said in court that the reason he allowed Sharrai to plead guilty to the possession charge was that it actually carried a higher maximum sentence.

‘Extremely long criminal history,’ prosecutor says

During last month’s sentencing at the Payette County Courthouse, Stuchlik raised concerns over Sharrai’s extensive criminal history, adding that he’s been committing crimes since the late 1990s. Because of that, Stuchlik said she wouldn’t retain jurisdiction over the case and place him on a rider – as his attorney requested as a possible sentencing option.

“Now that being said, I don’t mean to say that you’re beyond hope or that you can’t turn it around at some point – and I do hope that you do,” Stuchlik told Sharrai. “The fact that you made it here to court today shows me that you may be sincere in your desire to change who you’ve been.”

Stuchlik, who presides over cases in Payette County, said she typically retains jurisdiction for cases where the defendant has a less extensive criminal history, but she told Sharrai that since he could be eligible for parole in a year, he’ll have access to many of the rehabilitation programs that accompany a rider.

Her sentencing decision fell in line with the prosecution’s request.

Phillips also noted Sharrai’s “extremely long criminal history” in his argument to sentence Sharrai to at least one year in prison, with another six years possible.

Aside from 13 months he spent incarcerated in Oregon, Phillips said, Sharrai has racked up a new charge every year – sometimes several times a year. Many of his past crimes aren’t “exactly innocuous,” Phillips said, listing charges from battery to theft to drug-related crimes.

Maloney asked the judge to place her client on probation. While she appreciated the prosecution’s concern over Sharrai’s criminal history, Maloney said his diagnosis of ADHD might have influenced his impulsive decision-making. She also pointed to a statement made by Sharrai’s mother, who called the incident a “stupid” mistake and said that her son sometimes makes childlike decisions.

When asked to make a statement in court, Sharrai said he was ready to change.

“I guess you can say, I seen the light when I was in jail this last time,” he said. “I’m just done with it all.”