A Northeast Ohio man being held in the Mahoning County jail is accused of delivering an explosive package that seriously injured a romantic rival in Maryland.

Federal agents have arrested 30-year-old Clayton Alexander McCoy of Chesterland on charges of explosives with intent to injure and with using, carrying, or possessing a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Authorities believe McCoy is responsible for taking a bomb from his Geauga County home to Manchester, Maryland, that injured a man when it exploded on October 30.

Investigators say the victim opened the cardboard box left on the porch of his home and saw a smaller white box with a red ribbon inside. 

According to the victim, as he opened the smaller white box, a small nail that appeared to be inserted into the white box was pulled outward.  When he removed the nail, the victim heard a whistling or hissing sound followed by an explosion.  The victim was struck in the front of his body by shrapnel, injuring his chest, legs, and front of his body. 

The victim was released from the hospital on November 17 and is continuing with rehabilitation. 

Investigators say the explosive device was likely a type of pipe bomb containing shrapnel.  

The victim’s girlfriend told investigators she had been friends with McCoy for approximately seven years. 

According to an affidavit, the victim, his girlfriend, and McCoy were all friends through their participation in Dagorhir, a live-action role-playing battle game with full contact melee fighting and ranged combat as its primary focus. 

Sometime in early October 2020, McCoy told the victim’s girlfriend that he had feelings for her.  She told McCoy that the feeling was not mutual and that she was in a relationship with the victim.  She said she and McCoy agreed to remain friends.

After obtaining a warrant to search phone records, authorities determined that McCoy searched for the victim’s address and traveled to the victim’s home on the morning of the explosion.

Home security video from the victim’s neighbor also recorded a pickup truck belonging to McCoy’s mother.

During an initial hearing before a federal judge on Thursday, McCoy consented to be transferred to Maryland for further legal action.

McCoy is one of more than 100 federal inmates being held in the Mahoning County jail.

Greene could not say for sure if the influx is due to the U.S. Marshal’s decision not to renew its contract with the CoreCivic private prison in Youngstown when a current 90-day contract extension expires.

The sheriff says that accepting the additional inmates is a balancing act because they have been trying to keep the jail population low due to covid.

If convicted of both crimes, McCoy faces a sentence of 20 years to life in federal prison.