Man charged after SAPD bomb squad finds 'suspicious chemicals' in Live Oak home

LIVE OAK, Texas – A man is facing charges after someone tipped police off to possible "precursors to chemical explosives" in his home.

Jett Madison Garcia, 21, is charged with possession of a hoax bomb and possession of a prohibited short-barrel firearm, a misdemeanor and felony respectively.

The San Antonio and Live Oak police departments went to a home in the 11800 block of Rugged Oak around 4:30 p.m. Monday after receiving an anonymous tip that a person might have items used to make explosives.

A preliminary report states that when police arrived at the home, Garcia was mixing various chemicals in the front yard. 

"When (the SAPD bomb squad) walked in, it looked really suspicious. It was obviously out of the ordinary. Not something you see in an everyday household," Lt. Matt Malone of the Live Oak Police Department said Monday night. 

After four hours of investigating, Malone said the San Antonio Police Department's bomb squad tested the suspicious chemicals, but found nothing "apparently dangerous." Garcia, however, was taken downtown for further questioning and booked on the two charges around 8 p.m Monday.

The scare caused five nearby homes to be evacuated as a precaution. 

Malone said he wasn't sure what was found in the home that caused authorities to investigate further, but said the bomb squad decided to release the scene after testing the chemicals in the home. Authorities confiscated the chemicals for evidence.

Malone said the incident did not appear to be related to the bombings in Austin.

"That's a terrible situation up there, but there's nothing that links this to what's happening in Austin at all," Malone said. "We're looking at this as a worst-case scenario just to err on the side of caution to keep the neighborhood safe and the people safe."