JACKSON – A Garysburg man was transferred to federal custody here Wednesday.

Michael Thomas Carpenter, 34, of 336 Taylor Road was turned over to the Division of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms where he is facing two charges.

On July 12, Northampton County Sheriff’s Officers went to Carpenter’s residence with an search warrant for marijuana. Once there, officials found three pipe bombs, other bomb-making materials and numerous weapons.

He was charged and placed under a $500,000 bond in the Northampton County Jail where he remained until being turned over to federal authorities Wednesday.

&uot;ATF initially came in when we started this investigation,&uot; Sheriff Wardie Vincent said. &uot;They were very much interested in the case because of him having weapons of mass destruction.

&uot;Both our office and the ATF looked at the gravity of what he had done and we decided they would handle the case from the onset,&uot; Vincent added. &uot;They went back and did a lot of investigating and then came this week and picked him up on federal charges.&uot;

According to the sheriff, Carpenter faced a count of possession of weapons of mass destruction and possession of drug paraphernalia. He said officers with ATF were still considering other charges.

When officers arrived at Carpenter’s home in July, they began a search and found a bag that revealed a pipe bomb. Two others were found along with black powder and fuse cords. The bombs were safely detonated in a nearby field.

In addition, the sheriff reported weapons were found throughout the house, including in a baby’s crib, in ductwork and under furniture.

Carpenter, who was not home for the search, was arrested without incident near Faison’s Old Tavern.