A Malvern man who showed up at a West Chester "No Kings" rally last summer with a loaded handgun and later turned out to have a stash of homemade explosives at home has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Costello also ordered three years of supervised release.
How police say they caught him
Police say it started on June 14, 2025, when bystanders at the No Kings gathering flagged down officers after spotting a man putting on a tactical vest and trying to hide a gun. According to NBC10 Philadelphia, West Chester officers stopped 32-year-old Kevin Krebs and found a fully loaded Sig Sauer P320 concealed under a yellow raincoat, several loaded magazines, an M9 bayonet and other items. Video of the stop quickly circulated on social media as Krebs was taken into custody.
Bomb squad called after home search
Two days later, detectives executed a search warrant at Krebs's home in East Whiteland Township. Inside a desk drawer, they found a pipe bomb, and as they kept searching they uncovered roughly 13 improvised explosive devices and related components, officials said. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Montgomery County bomb technicians determined the devices were safe to move and that investigators also seized components including a homemade silencer and a 3D printer. Across properties, local reporting put the total number of firearms recovered at about 21, according to CBS Philadelphia.
Judge says cache posed 'grave danger'
Krebs pleaded guilty in December to possessing an unregistered firearm or destructive device and was sentenced Tuesday to 37 months in prison, according to court records. "Just having these bombs in your home posed a grave danger to other people," Judge Mary Kay Costello told the court, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Family, motive and official reaction
Prosecutors said Krebs's family told investigators he is on the autism spectrum and described him as having obsessive technical interests. Krebs told police and the FBI he had planned to protest peacefully but brought the gun because he wanted to feel safe, and Chester County officials said they found no manifesto or prewritten plan to attack, per CBS Philadelphia.
Charges, penalties and what's next
The federal guilty plea carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a possible $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. County prosecutors have also filed state weapons charges, and a trial on those counts had been scheduled to begin next week, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Why this matters locally
The arrest at the rally and the explosives found afterward have amplified long-running safety concerns around No Kings events in the Philadelphia region and renewed scrutiny of how organizers and police coordinate at demonstrations. Hoodline covered the initial June 2025 arrest in its earlier piece Arrest At West Chester No Kings Rally, which tracked local reaction to the protest.
