Darrell Sorey of Sioux City, Iowa pleaded guilty to one count of possession of an unregistered explosive device. The story is as follows.
On January 12, 2020, Mr. Sorey’s father died in a rollover vehicle incident in Iowa. Law enforcement officers found a pipe bomb, two improvised explosive devices made with carbon dioxide cartridges, two semiautomatic rifles and assorted ammunition at the accident scene. They also found receipts for the aforementioned items that were dated a few days prior to the accident. Law enforcement determined that Mr. Darrell Sorey purchased the items for making explosive devices.
In reviewing an affidavit about this case, it noted that Mr. Sorey expressed “sovereign citizen beliefs” in previous contacts with law enforcement and that his social media posts reflected anti-government and anti-law enforcement beliefs. The special agent who authored the affidavit wrote that based on his training and experience “sovereign citizens have anti-government views” and “sometimes escalate to engaging in violence against the government and individuals representing the government using firearms and explosives.”
The judge noted in his sentencing: “he’s free to have his sovereign citizen views, but he is not free to break the law.”
Having pled guilty, Mr. Sorey was sentenced to five years in prison.