DEARBORN, Mich. – A California man accused of plotting to attack a popular Detroit-area mosque was ordered to stand trial Friday after police testified that he had 96 fireworks in his car, including M-80 firecrackers and smoke bombs.

Roger Stockham, 63, was arrested Jan. 24 during a traffic stop near the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.

Witnesses said the Vietnam War veteran spoke hours earlier at a bar about setting off an explosion at the mosque.

Officer John Kostiuk said the fireworks were found in a paper bag on the front passenger seat of Stockham’s Chrysler PT Cruiser.

Officer Stanley Chiles, a bomb technician, testified that Stockham’s cache included fireworks that are illegal in Michigan and potentially dangerous.

Chiles said the fireworks could have hurt someone, especially if combined with the alcohol and spray paint that officers found in the car and gasoline in the tank.

Judge Mark Somers found probable cause to order a trial on charges of making a false report or threat of terrorism and possessing explosives with an unlawful intent. His next court date is Feb. 18.

Stockham has a history of mental illness. He has been caught during the past three decades for a string of felonies and spent time in various prisons and mental health hospitals.

 


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