A Palmerton man has been charged with possessing weapons of mass destruction.

The Pennsylvania State Police Lehighton barracks detailed the case against Shawn Matthews:

A woman who lives in the 700 block of Fireline Road, Bowmanstown, contacted police Friday to report that she had been involved in a domestic dispute with her boyfriend.

Troopers contacted the victim’s boyfriend, and Matthews, 38, inside a detached garage on the property.

As part of the investigation, search warrants were executed for the residence and for the detached garage.

A plastic tote inside the garage had a sawed-off shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches bearing no serial number, two pipe bombs, and a firearm suppressor.

PSP Hazardous Device and Explosives Section was dispatched to the scene and collected the two pipe bombs.

Matthews was interviewed at the Lehighton barracks and said he has been living in the detached garage for about seven months.

He said had access to the tote containing the items, but denied that the items belonged to him.

Matthews faces charges on two counts each of weapons of mass destruction and make repairs/sell offensive weapons.

Matthews is currently incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 straight bail, and scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Aug. 9 before District Judge William J. Kissner of Palmerton