A man from Washington state was under investigation after his young son accessed one of his unsecured firearms, leading authorities to an unexpected discovery beyond just guns.

David James Neff, aged 44, was taken into custody on July 15 following an incident where his wife was accidentally shot in the arm by their 4-year-old son. Neff was purportedly asleep with the gun holstered at his waist when the child grabbed it and fired, as detailed in court documents reviewed by the local ABC affiliate KOMO.

Following Neff’s arrest, prosecutors in Snohomish County revealed that a house investigation uncovered a significant cache of weapons—a total of 73 firearms, over 10 homemade explosives, and what seemed to be a plan for a community mass shooting.

As reported by KOMO, prosecutors indicated that these findings justified raising Neff’s bail, arguing, “Increased bail is appropriate where the additional information supports that the danger for future violence was not fully appreciated at the time that bail was initially set.”

In court on Monday, a judge doubled Neff’s bail to $1 million.

The Lynwood Times noted that during the incident on July 15, Neff was still asleep when deputies arrived and found his wife, Sandi Weaver, 41, with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound in her arm. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The 4-year-old had a minor injury under his eye, likely from the gun’s recoil, and was treated on site along with a 9-year-old sibling. Both children were later cared for by other family members.

Authorities observed that Neff appeared “pale, sweating, and eerily calm” during questioning, raising suspicions of drug use. They eventually discovered suspected drugs and a meth pipe on his person, alongside drug paraphernalia found in the family home.

Neff reportedly told police that he had 13 firearms registered in his name in the home, locked in a safe. During the execution of the search warrant, police found 60 additional, unregistered, unsecured firearms including short-barrel rifles, “AR-style rifles,” and pistols. They also found a bump stock.

Police said that the 10 homemade bombs — described as tubes filled with gunpowder, wiring, nails, and other materials for shrapnel made with the “intent of killing and injuring others” — were removed safely by the Washington State Patrol bomb squad. Inside the home were several containers of gunpowder and materials for building ammunition.

Image of a purported bomb found on the property of David James Neff (Court records via KOMO).

According to prosecutors, Neff, who was employed at an armory, was not licensed to possess, manufacture, or store explosives by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries.

The Lynwood Times reported that Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Kristina Beske-Keplinger said, “The magnitude of the threat that [Neff] poses to this community was not fully understood until the search concluded.” She added, “An individual who works at an armory would be expected to appreciate the need for firearm safety. Instead, he added bombs to unsafe situation.”

KOMO reported that Neff had worked at West Coast Armory, a local gun shop and gun range.

Neff pleaded not guilty to 14 felonies, including unsafe storage of firearm in the first degree, unlicensed possession of explosives, two counts of possession of an unlawful firearm, two counts of reckless endangerment, and eight counts of possession of an explosive device. He remains in Snohomish County Jail on $1 million bond and is scheduled to go to trial on Sept. 26.