Texas House candidate says pipe bomb conviction stems from blowing up tree stumps
The primary challenger to state Rep. J.D. Sheffield, R-Gatesville, pleaded guilty in 2001 to making a pipe bomb — but he says he meant no harm and wants to change the laws that led to his conviction.
"Growing up, I blew up tree stumps recreationally," Sheffield's opponent, Chris Evans, said in a statement Thursday to the Tribune that also included a promise to voters in House District 59. "After I become a legislator, I'm going to get rid of dumb laws that hassle country kids who aren't hurting anyone."
Evans was given eight years of probation for the offense, but he ultimately had to serve only four years. Yet his criminal record could color the race between him and Sheffield, one of roughly two dozen House primaries where GOP incumbents are facing opposition from their right.
The case in question dates back to 1998, when Stephenville police learned from a former roommate of Evans — who was then in his early 20s — that he was keeping in his apartment two 1-foot pipe bombs and a 2-foot piece of PVC pipe. The roommate, who had recently moved out after a fight, told police that Evans referred to the 1-foot bombs as practice bombs and the 2-foot piece of pipe as ultimately "his bomb," according to a police report obtained by the Tribune.
Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/04/texas-house-candidate-says-pipe-bomb-conviction-stems-blowing-tree-stu/
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