HAMMOND- Allen Crouse, 47 years old, of Griffith, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a destructive device, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Crouse was sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on July 21, 2021, law enforcement purchased from Crouse two destructive devices that he had manufactured. The destructive devices were intended to work as explosives or bombs and would have functioned as designed if detonated. His criminal history revealed ten prior felony burglary convictions between 1995 and 2002, and as such, he was prohibited from possessing the destructive device.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force and the Griffith Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin M. Padula.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.