A 26-year-old St. Joseph man is accused of throwing a homemade explosive device made of fireworks and butane fuel canisters at a house north of Sauk Rapids last year, according to a criminal complaint filed in Benton County District Court.

Joshua R. Quade was charged in September with three felonies — two counts relating to the possession and discharge of an explosive device, and one count of second-degree assault.

Quade was arrested on a warrant Friday and booked into Benton Co. jail; he failed to appear at a hearing Tuesday morning.

According to the criminal complaint, deputies responded to a report of a suspicious object being thrown at a house in the 7800 block of River Road NE. in Watab Township just before midnight on Aug. 13, 2020.

A man at the home said he was in his garage when he heard something that sounded like fireworks going off and hitting the garage.

In the driveway, officers found a white plastic bag containing an empty glass liquor bottle filled with firecrackers. The bag also included butane fuel canisters wrapped around the bottle with duct tape, which appeared to have lead or gun powder pellets stuck to it.

Benton Co. jail, Star Tribune
Joshua R. Quade

The man told law enforcement he thought Quade might have thrown the device because the man "may have been the reason [Quade's] residence was raided earlier by law enforcement," the complaint states.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued a report in April stating two prints found on the duct tape matched Quade's left ring finger.

Quade has been convicted of multiple felonies in Stearns County, including counts of terroristic threats and assault.

Jenny Berg • 612-673-7299

Twitter: @bergjenny