A suburban Detroit couple is facing serious criminal allegations after prosecutors say they hurled an explosive device marked with a blunt two-word message into a neighbor’s yard.
Jason Showers, 45, and his wife, Megan Showers, 38, both from St. Clair Shores, Michigan, could each spend decades behind bars if convicted in connection with the Monday incident, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office said.
According to prosecutors, Megan Showers ignited the device, described as a red cylinder bearing the words “BYE BYE,” before Jason Showers allegedly threw it into the yard of their 72-year-old neighbor.
Authorities said the neighbor managed to put out the explosive before anyone was injured.
Booking photo of Jason Showers, 45, who could face a possible life sentence if convicted on charges linked to allegations that he and his wife threw an explosive device into a neighbor’s yard. (Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office)
Investigators later searched the Showers’ home and reported finding “firearms, ammunition, and materials for assembling explosive devices,” prosecutors said.
“The allegations in this case are serious and especially troubling because they involve a senior member of our community. My office is committed to protecting public safety and prosecuting cases where individuals are accused of endangering others,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement.
Jason and Megan Showers have been charged with placing explosives near property and possessing bombs with unlawful intent. Both are felonies, and each charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The booking photo for Megan Showers, 38, the wife of Jason Showers. Prosecutors said she lit the explosive before her husband tossed it into their 72-year-old neighbor’s yard. (Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office)
Jason Showers also faces charges of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition, each punishable by up to five years in prison.
On top of that, prosecutors charged him with two counts of felony firearm possession, with each count carrying a mandatory two-year sentence that must be served consecutively to the underlying felony if he is convicted.
Since Jason Showers is a habitual offender with at least four prior felony convictions, the judge will be able to impose a life sentence if he is convicted of any one of the four top charges, prosecutors said.
A view of St. Clair Shores, the Detroit suburb where Jason and Megan Showers live. (WJBK)
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The couple made their first appearance in court on Wednesday, public records show. Their first probable cause hearing is scheduled for Aug. 14.
The judge granted Jason Showers a $100,000 cash-only bond. However, records show that he is still behind bars at the Macomb County Jail.
If he posts bond, he would have to wear a steel cuff GPS tether, the judge ordered. He would also be prohibited from returning to his home or having any contact with his wife or the neighbor.
Megan Showers’ bond was set at $20,000, but the judge gave her the ability to pay 10% through a bail bondsman, prosecutors said.
The judge said she could return to her marital home, but she cannot have contact with her husband or the neighbor.
