PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — An alleged bombmaker who posted a video online with an explosive last year, asking “Hey ATF, let me know if this is legal” has pleaded guilty to federal charges.
On August 7, 2023, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) arrested Levi Flatt, charging him with possession of prohibited weapons and alteration of serial numbers.
The charges stem from video Flatt posted online, which showed him with “a pound of tannerite, a pipe bomb and a wine bottle full of diesel.” According to the PCSO, deputies stopped Flatt’s vehicle as he driving toward the Putnam County Fair.
Inside the vehicle, deputies reportedly found three pipe bombs, two Molotov cocktails, a handgun with a tampered serial number, approximately 160 rounds of ammunition, a flak jacket and a shield.
According to a News 2 report, authorities worked to determine whether Flatt was potentially targeting the fair. Deputies added they have had at least “forty interactions with him since 2018.”
Just days after his arrest, on Aug. 9, 2023, officials said the ATF charged Flatt on the federal level with possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, possession of a destructive device, possession of an unregistered destructive device and making a destructive device.
Deputies said Flatt pleaded guilty to the charges Friday, Dec. 20 at a Nashville courthouse and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
PCSO Sheriff Eddie Farris said he is “thankful for the partnership we have with not only ATF but also federal, state, and local partners.”
No additional details were immediately released.
