Second man sentenced in homemade bomb case

Raleigh, N.C. — A Clinton man was sentenced Wednesday to more than 15 years in prison for setting off a homemade bomb  last spring.

Martin Bryant Boyette, 35, of 1681 Keener Road, pleaded guilty in December to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced as a career criminal to 188 months in prison.

Boyette and Julio Frentez Morales, 27, of Clinton, were injured on April 30 when Morales tried to throw a homemade bomb out the window of a minivan on U.S. Highway 701 as they drove past Hobbton Schools, authorities said.

The bomb went off in Morales' hand, seriously injuring him, and a piece of shrapnel hit Boyette in the back of the head, authorities said.

Investigators said Boyette and Morales planned to throw the bomb at a man dating Boyette's ex-girlfriend.

“This case is a stark reminder of the danger violent, armed offenders pose to the community. While any injury is regrettable, we are pleased that the intended victim was not harmed,” U.S. Attorney George Holding said in a statement.