Man who tossed homemade bomb at police sent to jail

An Orem man who threw a homemade bomb at police during a December standoff has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Joseph Fielding Harris, 38, barricaded himself inside a home near 200 East and 1000 North after his estranged wife called police and said Harris was threatening to blow up the house. During the standoff, Harris screwed doors shut and welded the garage door in its tracks, according to court documents. Then the man threw out a garbage bag containing acetylene, igniting the front yard and causing a blast heard a block away, police said.

After police arrested the man, they found four additional bombs inside the house.

Harris pleaded guilty last month to two counts of possessing an incendiary device. As part of his plea deal, two identical counts and a misdemeanor charge were dismissed.

On Tuesday, 4th District Judge Fred Howard suspended a possible prison term and instead sentenced Harris to a year in the Utah County Jail, followed by 36 months of probation.

afalk@sltrib.com