By By Lisa Tindell – news writer
A Flomaton man who was arrested last July is facing a jury in a federal courtroom in Mobile this week.
Gregory Wendall Nichols, 45, of 261 Powell Circle, was arrested following a vehicle stop on July 5, at a convenience store located at the intersection of highways 31 and 113 in Flomaton.
Flomaton Police Chief Mike Lambert said Nichols was arrested and charged with a federal offense and faces other state felony charges in connection with the bombs.
In a statement released by Lambert, five homemade pipe bombs made from CO2 cartridges were found in Nichols' vehicle. Agents with the Alabama Department of Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives and Mobile's Bomb Squad were notified with the bomb squad securing and taking possession of the devices.
Mike Messenger, a supervisor with the ATFE agency, said Nichols gave consent to search his residence on Powell Circle in Flomaton.
Nichols was charged with possession of an unregistered explosive device, a federal offense, and unlawful possession of explosives, which is a class C felony in the state of Alabama.
If convicted, Nichols faces a prison term of between three and a half and four and a quarter years, under sentencing guidelines as advised by authorities.
Nichols' case is before Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Emmett Cox Jr., and testimony is expected to continue today.