ARVIN, CA – A security guard at a California high school has admitted to operating a homemade explosives enterprise with a student from the school he was assigned to protect. Angelo Jackson Mendiver, 27, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to produce and sell explosive materials, shipping explosive devices, and providing false statements to FBI agents. These details were confirmed in a statement from the US Attorney’s Office.
Investigators found roughly 500 pounds of explosives and explosive materials at Mendiver’s residence in Bakersfield in June, leading to his arrest. An equal amount of explosive materials was discovered at the home of the teenage partner he was working with.
Court documents reveal that the two individuals were making use of an Instagram account to communicate and conduct their hazardous business. The account contained images and footage of the explosives. They distributed the explosives and other materials to clients throughout the country via mail.
At the time Mendiver was running this dangerous activity, he was employed as a campus security supervisor at Arvin High School, located a short distance from Bakersfield. The Kern School District, which oversees the high school of approximately 2,500 students, did not immediately provide a comment on the matter in response to media requests.
Mendiver is now facing a potential maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and fines totaling as much as $1 million for the charges.