A man from Burleson said to idolize mass shooters pleaded guilty to possessing a homemade bomb and child pornography on Thursday, according to federal authorities.
Noah Robert Calderon, 22, confessed to federal prosecutors that before his arrest, he had purchased explosive materials and researched how to use them to build a bomb online, WFAA reported. He also admitted to knowingly engaging in a sexually explicit video chat with a 13-year-old girl and storing videos from their online encounter.
He reportedly pleaded guilty to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of receipt of child pornography and faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
Calderon came to the attention of the FBI in October 2022 after allegedly expressing extremist views and a fascination with mass shootings on social media. His proclivities “allegedly progressed from ideation to planning and preparation,” according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Texas.
The investigation into Calderon grew to involve the FBI, the Burleson Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives after a tipster reported that Calderon had detonated a homemade bomb in a residential neighborhood in March 2023, per the press release.
After searching Calderon’s home in April, investigators allegedly found evidence of explosive devices, a handwritten political manifesto lauding the 1999 Columbine school shooters, and sexually explicit videos of a minor.
Calderon will be sentenced on November 3 in connection to the two charges, according to WFAA.
Mass shootings have been in the national headlines lately, with 17 occurring over the Fourth of July weekend, including in Fort Worth, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
Deadly violent crimes also continue to plague Dallas, which has seen murders increase by roughly 23% in the first four months of 2023. More recent data is unavailable due to an alleged ransomware attack against the City of Dallas’ computer servers in May.
The Dallas Police Department has for years been short the 4,000 officers recommended by a City analysis, with some 900 sworn personnel needed to police the city effectively. Police officials have pointed to the shortage as a hindrance to the department’s ability to respond to high-priority calls.
“It’s going to be a very long time before we ever catch up to where we need to be or where we should be as far as manpower,” Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said, according to the Dallas Observer.
Crime has been especially high in Downtown Dallas. As it stands, someone in Downtown Dallas is four times more likely to be a victim of assault than in Fort Worth’s downtown area, which is policed by its own specialized unit and private security guards.
