City man sentenced to prison and probation for 2023 bombing

A Meadville area man was sentenced to prison and probation for making a flammable bomb and threatening to throw it at a town home last year.

Weston E. Beers, 28, was sentenced Friday by Crawford County Judge Francis Schultz to the maximum county jail term, followed by two years of probation for the incident.

Beers was initially charged by the Meadville Police Department with one count of weapons of mass destruction and misdemeanor bomb threats and disorderly conduct for the May 14, 2023, incident.

In July of this year, Beers pleaded guilty to the weapons of mass destruction charge in exchange for not pursuing the other charges by the Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office.

Police were called to Beers’ residence in the 500 block of Limber Road around 7:15 p.m.

After Beers left the house, police found a 5-gallon bucket containing gasoline and Styrofoam, with a block of Styrofoam and two cans of lighter fluid nearby.

A family member told police that Beers was suffering from a mental health issue and was hearing voices that Beers said were coming from a nearby house. Beers allegedly told the family member that he was preparing napalm for Molotov cocktails to throw at the neighboring residence.

During his sentencing via video link from the Crawford County Jail, Beers told the judge he had successfully completed mental health treatment.

Schultz sentenced Beers to 11 1/2 months to 24 months less one day in jail, with 483 days of pretrial jail time, followed by two years of probation on the weapons of mass destruction charge. Beers also must pay a $100 fine and court costs.

While Beers was eligible for parole, Schultz’s order states that Beers will not be released on parole until there is a plan in place for him to enter a structured residential treatment program at long term at George Junior Republic in Grove City. That plan is expected to be in place within 10 days, according to the sentencing order.