LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The man whose house could be burned down by the city appeared before a judge on Tuesday.
Marc Hibel, 53, was arrested back in July, when investigators said he admitted to making and detonating homemade explosives.
His Highview home on Applegate Lane was found full of chemicals and junk.
Police described it as a hoarding situation and said he had been squatting in the home next door.
Thomas Rasinski, Hibel's defense attorney, said his plan was to go into business with another chemist.
"He was going to start a chemical handling business, but that man passed away and he couldn't step into that business as he intended, so he had chemicals he had no purpose for anymore and he had no means to dispose of them," he said.
Hibel's attorney said he does have a mental health condition.
He asked that Hibel be released to a social worker with Wellspring so he could start inpatient treatment.
But the county argued he was too dangerous to be released.
"We have a lot of unknown; I'm going to disagree with the defense with no bomb making," prosecutor Ebert Haegele said. "We found blasting caps and ignition switches, and with the chemicals, we think he is a danger to this community."
The judge agreed to part of Hibel's request.
She dropped his bond from $50,000 to $10,000, and if he is released he will be on house arrest and will be required to be assessed by Wellspring.
As for Hibel's home, his attorney had entered a motion to preserve evidence to save his belongings.
But they have paused that motion until the city decides if or when they will burn down the home.
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