Skowhegan Man Arrested With Explosives In His Home

A Skowhegan neighborhood was evacuated after a man was found with bomb-making materials in his house.

Skowhegan Police originally went to the home at around 9:30 Saturday night when a man called to ask for help disarming a black powder cannon. Officials say he had been drinking and was trying to disable the cannon by drilling holes in it. 46-year-old Phillip Ewing told police that he was scared of terrorists. WGME-TV reports that in and around the home, police spotted containers of kerosene and gasoline tannerite, and empty containers of gun powder.

While Ewing was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation, the neighborhood around his Summer Street home was evacuated and the bomb squad called in to clear the explosives.

Ewing was immediately arrested, after being cleared by doctors, and taken to the Somerset County Jail. He's charged with criminal possession of explosives.