Man charged with possessing incendiary device

A 40-year-old man is facing a felony explosives charge after an incendiary device was discovered inside his vehicle, authorities said today.

A West Chicago police officer found David H. Watts Jr. sitting alone in his vehicle about 9 a.m. Tuesday while it was parked outside a business along the 1000 block of West Roosevelt Road.

Watts, whose last known address was in Aurora, was taken to a hospital "for treatment of issues present prior to the time the officer had contact with him," according to a statement released by West Chicago police.

While securing Watts' vehicle, a police officer smelled a strong odor of gasoline and found a bottle at the rear of the vehicle, officials said.

Authorities said the bottle contained a liquid, had what appeared to be a wick sticking out of the mouth of the bottle and had several fireworks taped to it. The bottle was next to a large container that, police say, "was also of a suspicious nature."

The immediate area was cleared and police alerted the DuPage County Bomb Squad. When bomb squad members arrived, they determined the bottle was an incendiary device. They safely rendered the device useless a short time later.

Watts was charged with one felony count of possession of explosives or explosive or incendiary devices. He could be sentenced to as many as 30 years in prison if convicted.

Watts was being held at the DuPage County jail on $500,000 bond.