Santa Maria courthouse bomber Nathaniel McGuire due in federal court on April 7, 2026
LOS ANGELES (KEYT) – Nathaniel James McGuire, the man arrested for allegedly detonating an explosive device at the Santa Maria courthouse in September of 2024, has been granted a request to continue his federal case to April 7, 2026.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, defense counsel on McGuire's behalf requested the extension due to the over 5000 pages of evidence the government intends to bring to his trial over charges of using a weapon of mass destruction, maliciously damaging a building with an explosive, and possessing unregistered destructive devices.
On September 25, 2024, McGuire was scheduled to appear before Judge John McGregor in Department 9 of the Santa Barbara County Superior Courthouse in Santa Maria on an arraignment on one a felony count of carrying a loaded handgun without proper registration.
Shortly after 8:30 a.m., an explosion was heard in the courthouse from a bag that McGuire is alleged to have thrown towards a security screening station, injuring at least five people at the scene.
Following the explosion, McGuire ran into the parking lot of the courthouse and towards his red Mustang in the southeast parking lot, but he was stopped by security personnel.
A search of the parked vehicle revealed the presence of a rifle, a shotgun, a suspected bomb, additional ammunition, fireworks, a flare gun, and ten Molotov cocktails detailed the indictment filed by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
The criminal complaint filed in Santa Barbara Superior Court also noted that McGuire's residence had what appeared to be recipes for explosive material and evidence was uncovered linking McGuire to three local arsons at: 7320 Palmer Road, 6801 Palmer Road, and 2480 Tepusquet Road.
According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, McGuire was wearing body armor underneath the jacket he was wearing at the time of the bombing.
McGuire told investigators he had intended to re-enter the courthouse after the explosion with his firearms to kill a judge.
Adrian Arredondo shared with Your News Channel his video of the incident and that he saw what appeared to be ammunition falling out of McGuire's pockets as he was taken to the ground.
In October of 2024, a federal grand jury returned a three count indictment against McGuire and he was arraigned on his federal charges on Oct. 25, 2024.
If convicted on all of his federal charges, McGuire faces a minimum sentence of seven years and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
"We are grateful that the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office have taken this serious case to the grand jury, and that they have returned an indictment," said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. "This crime shocked our entire community and we are pleased to see that the suspect in this case is being held accountable."
Besides his federal charges, McGuire is also facing ten felony counts in Santa Barbara County that are pending the results of his federal trial.
