Aurora man sentenced to eight years for having homemade bomb

An Aurora man, arrested donning camouflage and with letters in his truck threatening Kane County judges, was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for having a homemade bomb.

David H. Watts Jr., 41, received the punishment in a DuPage County plea deal after he admitted to possessing explosives or an incendiary device.

Watts will be eligible for parole after serving half the prison term.

Early New Year's Day 2008, West Chicago police officer Anthony Quarto was patrolling the 1000 block of West Roosevelt Road when a man sitting in a truck outside Teamsters Local Union 673 office caught his eye.

The man, Watts, was putting on camouflage clothing and full face paint. Watts also wore an empty gun holster and had a knife tucked in his waistband.

Prosecutor Audriana Anderson said Watts made several nonsensical, homicidal ramblings about Kane County authorities. She said police found Kane County court papers inside the truck and Watts' written threats, alleging judicial hypocrisy and naming specific judges who had handled his cases.

Authorities said they smelled a strong odor of gasoline inside the truck and found a bottle filled with gas that had what appeared to be a wick sticking out the top. Several fireworks were taped to the bottle, which was next to a larger container that also looked suspicious.

Officers evacuated the immediate area and alerted the bomb squad, which rendered the device useless a short time later. No one was injured.

Authorities said Watts, who served in the Army, has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and suffered delusional thoughts.

"Mr. Watts had a history of medical-related issues," defense attorney Michael Botti said. "He had no intent to cause harm or carry out the threat. He is getting the help he needs."

Police alerted Kane County sheriff's officials, who called the Kane County chief judge at home. The judge immediately notified the appropriate authorities, including a state terrorist center and the Illinois Supreme Court, which is protocol.

Watts was taken to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield for observation. Afterward, police transported him to the DuPage County jail, where he has remained.

This wasn't Watts' first run-in with the law. Police arrested him more than a half-dozen times in that past year - mostly during a two-week period in May 2007 - on charges alleging criminal trespass, violating an order of protection, sleeping in the park and twice battering a woman who was staying at the same Aurora homeless shelter, court records showed. The order of protection involved his ex-wife in Aurora.