Joshua W. Stearman, a 42-year-old resident of Anderson, Indiana, has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after being found guilty of possessing incendiary bombs and falsely impersonating a Homeland Security officer. Following his release from prison, Stearman will also serve three years under supervised release.
Court documents show that the incident occurred on December 12, 2023. Ingalls Police responded to a report of a suspicious person near a home that had previously experienced vandalism and arson. A witness reported seeing Stearman approach the residence with an object before fleeing when security lights turned on. Officers later stopped Stearman’s vehicle and found him carrying both his driver’s license and a fake government identification card. He claimed to be a Homeland Security Officer returning from an assignment. At the time, he was wearing black gloves with duct tape around his wrists.
Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered four gasoline-filled bottles equipped with cloth wicks and wood pieces, as well as a lighter. Experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirmed these items were incendiary bombs designed to start fires upon impact. Forensic analysis verified the liquid inside each bottle was gasoline.
Federal law prohibits private individuals from possessing destructive devices such as incendiary bombs without proper authorization.
“This defendant not only endangered lives by bringing homemade firebombs into a residential neighborhood but also sought to evade detection by impersonating a Homeland Security officer,” said Tom Wheeler, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Thanks to the swift actions of local law enforcement and the expert analysis of our federal partners, this dangerous individual was stopped before he could carry out a potentially deadly attack.”
The investigation involved cooperation between ATF agents and police departments in Ingalls and Lapel, Indiana, along with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt handed down Stearman’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Jayson W. McGrath and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nate Walter for their roles in prosecuting the case.
