Chattanooga, TN – Detectives and deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office located and arrested Kevin Wade O’Neal, 54, at a residence on Amber Way in Old Fort on August 1, 2025, while attempting to serve active warrants for allegedly threatening to kill public officials and law enforcement.
Upon entering the bedroom where O’Neal had been found, officers noticed smoke and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device. The residence was immediately evacuated, and assistance was requested from the Chattanooga Police Department Bomb Squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
During a subsequent search of the home, Chattanooga bomb technicians and ATF agents located fourteen improvised explosive devices. Investigators believe O’Neal attempted to detonate the devices during deputies’ arrival and while they were placing him into custody…