Deputies evacuate 5 Goldenrod homes to detonate pipe bombs

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County deputies said they had to evacuate five homes in the Goldenrod neighborhood Friday morning so they could detonate explosive devices they discovered at a home.

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Investigators said that they served a search warrant Thursday on a home on Alena Court near State Road 436 and Howell Branch Road.

They said that while they were searching for drugs, they discovered an apparent pipe bomb, explosive materials, methamphetamine and marijuana in the home.

Deputies said they interviewed the homeowner, Mark Severson, 40, who admitted to making “pyrotechnic material.”

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Investigators said Severson and his wife told them that he usually “works on his fireworks” in the garage and on the porch.

Severson was arrested on charges of possessing and manufacturing explosives and possessing and selling methamphetamine and MDMA.

Deputies said they detonated the bombs at the home Friday because they were concerned it would be unsafe to transport them.

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“All of a sudden, I just heard an explosion,” a neighbor told Channel 9. “Fire in the hole. And it just caught everyone off guard. Even people from outside the neighborhood came outside to see what was going on.”

A judge ruled Friday that Severson be jailed without bail.

“At this point in time, I am going to keep him on no bond amid public safety concerns,” the judge said.

See a map of the home below:

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