INDIANAPOLIS – A 42-year-old Anderson man will spend more than five years in federal prison after being convicted of possessing homemade incendiary devices and pretending to be a Homeland Security officer.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Joshua W. Stearman to 65 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. Stearman was found guilty in April 2025 on charges of unlawful possession of incendiary bombs and false impersonation of a federal employee.
Court records show that the incident began in the early morning hours of December 12, 2023, when Ingalls police were called to investigate a suspicious person near a home that had previously been the target of vandalism and arson. A witness reported seeing Stearman approach the residence carrying an object before retreating to a red Toyota RAV4 when motion-activated security lights switched on.
Officers quickly stopped the SUV and were met with an unusual claim—Stearman presented his driver’s license alongside a fraudulent Homeland Security identification card, stating he was returning from a mission. Police noted he was wearing black gloves with duct tape around his wrists, heightening suspicion.
A search of the vehicle uncovered four glass bottles filled with gasoline, each equipped with cloth wicks and small wood fragments, along with a lighter. Experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later confirmed the bottles were functional incendiary devices designed to ignite and spread flames upon impact.
“This defendant not only endangered lives by bringing homemade firebombs into a residential neighborhood but also sought to evade detection by impersonating a Homeland Security officer,” said U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler for the Southern District of Indiana. “Thanks to the swift actions of local law enforcement and the expert analysis of our federal partners, this dangerous individual was stopped before he could carry out a potentially deadly attack.”
The case was investigated by the ATF and the Ingalls Police Department, with assistance from the Lapel Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Prosecutors Jayson W. McGrath and Nate Walter led the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
