WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
A man accused of throwing homemade pipe bombs at law-enforcement officials during a standoff in Van Buren County was already wanted on a felony arrest warrant in St. Joseph County.
According to WWMT, Morgan Parish is on trial in Van Buren County on 18 felony charges, including terrorism-related offenses, stemming from a July 2025 armed standoff in which authorities allege he detonated explosive devices as officers attempted to take him into custody.
The confrontation, however, traces back to an earlier case in which Parish failed to appear for sentencing on multiple felony convictions, according to St. Joseph County Prosecutor Deb Davis.
Parish was scheduled to be sentenced in June before St. Joseph County Circuit Judge Paul Stutesman. When Parish did not appear, the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest, Davis said.
Those charges stem from a June 2024 incident in Colon Township, where investigators said Parish became angry at a juvenile driver and passenger for speeding past his home on Sewanee Trail.
Prosecutors said Parish partially blocked the roadway with his vehicle and allegedly fired a BB gun at the truck several times, striking the bed of the vehicle.
A search of Parish’s home uncovered multiple weapons and drugs, prosecutors said, including a short-barreled shotgun near the front door, ammunition in plain view, two 12-gauge shotguns, BB guns, replica firearms and nearly 16 grams of methamphetamine, along with a meth pipe.
Because of a 2013 drug-related conviction, Parish was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, prosecutors said.
Parish ultimately pleaded guilty in April to second-offense possession of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.
