A Bakersfield man is facing federal charges for illegal possession of explosives, ammunition, and the manufacturing of methamphetamine, according to an indictment by a federal grand jury. Matthew Henry Jacober, 43, is accused of holding 50 pounds of dynamite and two dozen plus one shotgun shells in a remote Bakersfield residence, a place where he was also alleged to be cooking meth.
With a past that includes a Kern County Superior Court felony conviction for making a destructive device without a permit, Jacober is barred by law from possessing explosives and ammunition. According to court documents, the meth Jacober was purportedly manufacturing, ensnared him in deeper legal troubles — trouble that includes a mandatory minimum of five years if convicted, and possibly up to 40 years behind bars, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
The investigation that led to Jacober's indictment was a coordinated effort, spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with supporting roles played by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with the Kern County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad and the Kern County Fire Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is taking up the mantle of prosecution.
On top of the tenure served in prison that might come for the drug offense, Jacober also faces up to 10 years for being a felon in possession of explosives and another potential 15 years for the ammunition charge, with both counts possibly fining him $250,000 each. While these figures paint a daunting future for Jacober, they will be subjected to the court's discretion after considering statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the indictment emphasizes. Until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the accused remains presumed innocent, as per legal standards.
It should be noted that this case ties into the larger federal initiative known as Operation Take Back America. The initiative consolidates efforts from the Justice Department to tackle issues such as illegal immigration and dismantle the operations of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, with a focus on safeguarding communities from violent crime, as outlined in the indictment.
