Video from previous coverage.

MASON, Ohio (WXIX) - A 21-year-old Mason man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to a felony charge of illegally transporting explosive materials to a large soccer complex in Lebanon.

James Phillips planned to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) at the Lebanon Sports Complex early Sept. 22, 2024, but was stopped when a Lebanon police officer ordered him to leave because it was closed, federal prosecutors said .

The officer discovered the live IED, and it was turned over to the Butler County Bomb Squad.

Testing determined it contained two extremely dangerous explosives, Nickel Hydrazine Nitrate and Erythritol Tetranitrate, federal court records show.

Court records released Wednesday show Phillips and his attorney both signed his plea agre

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