Kevin P. Davidson, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama
Montgomery, Ala. – Waylon Blake Gilreath, Sr., a 43-year-old man from Williamson, Georgia, has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for possessing an unregistered destructive device. This was announced by Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson on April 9, 2025. Post-incarceration, Gilreath will undergo three years of supervised release, with no parole option available in the federal system.
Court records and evidence presented during Gilreath’s trial last fall reveal that deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded on March 20, 2024, to a domestic disturbance report at a residence in Hope Hull, Alabama. Upon arrival, the deputies found Gilreath on the property's front porch. Notified of a protection from abuse order against Gilreath prohibiting his presence on the property, deputies took him into custody. During the arrest, they found a handgun and knife in his possession.
Further investigation led deputies to discover nine firearms, including handguns and AR-style weapons, numerous rounds of ammunition, several magazines, and two sets of body armor in Gilreath’s vehicle. Several magazines were of the high-capacity drum style. Additionally, deputies found four prescription bottles containing substances that, if combined, would form an explosive material regulated at the federal level. Three of these bottles also had metal shrapnel, designed to elevate the mixture's destructive power. A subsequent search warrant executed at Gilreath’s home unveiled more explosive mix and shrapnel material, including glass shards.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and Montgomery Police Department collaborated for the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon W. Bates and Christopher P. Moore prosecuted the case.
