For the second time this week, a loud boom rocked parts of Central Texas — but city leaders and law enforcement confirmed Thursday, April 17 that the two incidents are not related. This update comes after the Austin Police Department safely detonated explosives inside a home in a South Austin neighborhood on Wednesday, April 16, after explosive materials were discovered.
While the investigation remains ongoing, here’s what we know so far about the case.
Man arrested in connection to the explosives
Travis County Jail records revealed police arrested a 66-year-old man in connection with the incident, with his offense number matching APD’s case incident record. Steven Blake Aldrich, 66, was booked in the Travis County Jail just after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, according to records.
Aldrich has been charged with components of explosives, a third-degree felony. Historic crime records detailed by the Texas Department of Public Safety outlined prior third-degree felony charges for prohibited weapons, with arrests made by the Leander Police Department and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office in 2015 and 2019.
In an update on Thursday, April 17, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis confirmed Aldrich had served six years in confinement in Williamson County for bomb-related charges and prohibited possession, and was released only weeks ago on parole. She said that Aldrich had a parole officer and agencies are notified when people are out on parole, but it is the role of the parole officer to check in on them and monitor their status…