Convicted truck bomber sentenced to 35 years in prison

AUBURN, Ind. (AP) – A northeastern Indiana man convicted of detonating a bomb in a pickup truck has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

DeKalb Superior Court Judge Kevin Wallace sentenced 36-year-old Ricky Williford of Garrett on Monday to 25 years for possession of a destructive device and 10 years for being a habitual offender.

The owner of the damaged pickup truck had testified Williford claimed he owed the defendant $400. He said that weeks before the Oct. 14, 2014 explosion outside an Auburn garage, Williford confronted him there, fired a gun in the garage’s office area and knocked over a display case.

The (Auburn) Star reports Williford continued to maintain his innocence during the hearing.

Wallace granted Williford’s request for a public defender to represent him on appeal.