Neighbors not surprised after police find explosives at Lawrenceville home

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The neighbors of a Lawrenceville man accused of making and storing more than a dozen bombs at his home said they are not surprised he was arrested.

Investigators charged Spencer Braswell, 53, with possession or manufacturing of a destructive device on Wednesday.

Since then we've learned the explosives range in size from a small firecracker to a soda can.

Channel 2's Erica Byfield spoke to several of Braswell's neighbors; including the woman who called 911 after hearing what she described as a gunshot coming from the home.

"We just thought it was someone being a smart-aleck with a rifle or something shooting it off and that fact that it was a mad bomber, glad we did report it," the woman said, who requested no to be identified.

Braswell lives on Springlake Drive in Lawrenceville with his mother.

While at his home, investigators said they also confiscated a bomb making book and several computers.

One neighbor told Byfield she had heard strange noises coming from Braswell's home for more than a year and he had odd habits.

"He was kind of suspicious. He always went down to his basement in the middle of the night, for no reason for multiple times and it made no sense," neighbor Elese Hardigree said.

Police do not believe the longtime Lawrenceville resident was planning an attack.

"In what we've seen and what we know about the suspect, there is no kind of domestic terrorism that we know of," Capt. Greg Vaughn of the Lawrenceville Police Department said.

Byfield dug into Braswell's past and found a few speeding tickets, evictions and a DUI.

Braswell has no bond and is in the Gwinnett County Jail. Police said more charges are likely.

WSBTV