This is an old story with a new twist thanks to a viral video.
According to WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Florida, a chemical pipe bomb exploded on a Putnam County sheriff’s deputy as he searched a pickup truck during a traffic stop in April.
The deputy stopped a truck driven by Charles Legault after noticing that the license plate did not match the vehicle.
He then conducted the search that resulted in the explosion.
According to The National Desk, the arrest report described a chlorine-based “poisonous gas bomb” and noted that “the exposure of gases and powdered particles from the explosion” sent a law enforcement officer to the hospital.
The officer — identified by WJAX-TV as Sgt. Ryan Owens — has since recovered.
Legault, 60, now faces a myriad of charges, only one of which pertains to the explosion, The National Desk reported. They include aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, maintaining a drug vehicle and armed trafficking of methamphetamine with a firearm.
Furthermore, authorities later arrested Legault’s roommate, 64-year-old convicted felon Patrick McGregor, who also faces drug and weapons charges.
In other words, if the charges prove true, Owens stopped a dangerous man, which led to the arrest of another dangerous man.
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Initially, authorities did not release the injured sergeant’s bodycam video while the case remained under investigation, per WJXT.
On June 4, however, a YouTube channel called The CrimePiece shared the video, and it has since garnered more than 4.4 million views.
The footage showed the sergeant searching the truck’s messy front seat.
“Yeah, it’s — it’s good,” he said as he moved items on the seat.
“What the f***?” the sergeant yelled as he staggered away from the truck and toward his sheriff’s vehicle parked behind it.
“What the f*** was that?” he again asked in a distressed-sounding voice.
Mercifully, the injured deputy appeared to gather himself somewhat by the end of the clip.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language and sudden violence that some viewers may find offensive or disturbing.
Perhaps morbid curiosity accounts for some of the millions of views the video has received on YouTube and in a shorter version posted on X, but it makes little difference.
After all, law enforcement officers face those kinds of dangers every moment of every day. Whether by accident or otherwise, everything can change for them and their families in an instant.
Thus, viral videos of this nature cannot help but strengthen the public’s respect for the kinds of sacrifices officers’ service often entails.
A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:
I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.”
That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.
Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.
The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
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The Western Journal
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
