Anthony Warner, who is suspected of planning the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville, was not unknown to law enforcement. A year prior to the explosion, Warner's girlfriend had alerted police to his bomb-making activities.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had said that Warner "was not on [their] radar" prior to the bombing. But a Metro Nashville Police Department report from August 2019 shows that local and federal authorities had investigated reports of Warner making bombs in an RV.
News Channel 5 in Nashville obtained the police report which said that Warner's girlfriend called the police on August 21, 2019. She told officers that Warner "…was building bombs in the RV trailer at his residence." When they arrived, they found her sitting on the porch with two unloaded guns nearby.
"She related that the guns belonged to a 'Tony Warner' and that she did not want them in the house any longer," Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said in a statement to The Tennessean.
Police were unable to make contact with Warner at the time and the case was closed as unfounded. Aaron told NewsChannel 5 Investigates that officers "...saw no evidence of a crime and had no authority to enter his home or fenced property."
The police report says that police responded to the home of a woman who had threatened to kill herself. It also states that a lawyer named Ray Throckmorton, was also at the home on Bakerton Rd. and represented both the woman and Warner.
Throckmorton told police that Warner "…frequently talks about the military and bomb making," and that Warner "…knows what he is doing and is capable of making a bomb."
The report stated that, "Police observed that there was an RV trailer in the backyard but the yard was fenced off and police could not see inside the RV."Police noted there were several security cameras wired to an alarm sign on the door.
Aaron said Metro police forwarded the report and Warner's information to the FBI, and ATF but neither agency found records on Warner. No additional information came to the department's attention after August 2019.
Police told News Channel 5 that an officer with the bomb squad called Throckmorton days after the report and asked to search Warner's RV, because they believed Throckmorton still represented Warner.
Police claimed Throckmorton would not allow his client to consent to a search, which Throckmorton strongly denied.
According to News Channel 5, police officers notified supervisors and detectives about the tip on Warner, but it's unclear if detectives ever followed up with Warner's girlfriend, who was not in a good mental state, or asked for search warrant.
Metro Police Department spokesman Don Aaron sent News Channel 5 an email with a timeline of events:
"South Precinct officers went to Ms. — home on the morning of Wednesday, August 21, 2019, on a report from Mr. Throckmorton that Ms. — had made suicidal threats to him via telephone and was sitting on her front porch with firearms. Officers arrived and saw that Ms. — did have two pistols on the porch next to her, but they were not in her possession and they were not loaded. She related that the guns belonged to a 'Tony Warner' and that she did not want them in the house any longer. 'Tony Warner' was not on the scene.
"As a result of their interview with Ms.—, and out of concern for her safety, Mobile Crisis was contacted and Ms. — spoke with them via telephone. They determined she was in need of psychological evaluation and she voluntarily went with an NFD ambulance for that purpose. While at — home, as the report reflects, officers also spoke with Throckmorton, who, they were told, represented both — and Warner."
Aaron continued, "On the morning of August 21, 2019, officers also went to Warner's address on Bakertown Lane. No contact was made. They saw no evidence of a crime and had no authority to enter his home or fenced property."
In his email to the station, Aaron included a report that was sent to the Hazardous Devices Unit for follow up as well as a timeline of subsequent events.
"On August 22, 2019, the narrative from the report and Warner's identifying information were sent to the FBI to check their databases and also to determine whether Warner had any prior military connections. Later in the day on August 22, 2019, the FBI reported back that they checked their holdings and found no records on Warner at all. On August 28, 2019, the FBI reported that Department of Defense checks on Warner were all negative."
According to Aaron, "During the week of August 26, 2019, the Hazardous Devices Unit made contact with attorney Throckmorton. The recollection of that call is that Warner did not care for the police, and that Throckmorton would not allow his client to permit a visual inspection of the RV. At no time was there any evidence of a crime detected and no additional action was taken.
"No additional information about Warner came to the department’s or the FBI’s attention after August 2019. The ATF also had no information on him. The one arrest of Warner occurred in January 1978 for marijuana possession."
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