Police: Father Taught 6-year-old Bomb-Making Techniques

Children often look to their dad’s to learn about most things.

But Las Cruces Police say one father went a too far.

Anthony Stromberg, 44, was arrested Thursday morning for teaching his 6-year-old son how to build explosives.

Stromberg and his child’s mother share custody of their six year-old boy.

But it’s what he was learning on weekends when he was with his father that authorities are calling child abuse.

“He was putting his son in harm’s way by exposing him to explosives,” said Dan Trujillo, Las Cruces Police Spokesman.

It was early Thursday morning when the Las Cruces police SWAT team along with several other agencies had an arrest warrant in hand and knocked on Stromberg’s door.

He was at his Las Cruces home when he was arrested and charged with one count of child abuse. Investigators say about two weeks ago, Stromberg had an argument with his son’s mother.

After that, Stromberg allegedly told his son that he was going to kidnap and shoot her.

Authorities say the father and son would often go out to the desert where they would detonate explosives.

Stromberg allegedly taught his 6 year-old son, in detail, how to build small bombs.

Beau Masse, a neighbor, said he finds hard to believe.

“It’s a bit surprising, he’s always been a bit of a mild mannered neighbor as far as I’ve known him and it really seems out of character that he would do something like that,” Masse said.

Stromberg is in the Dona Ana detention center under a $150,000 bond. Authorities said additional charges against Stromberg are pending.