Germantown man charged with illegally possessing firearm, destructive devices

DAYTON, Ohio - Tony Houston, 40, of Germantown, has been arrested and charged federally with possessing unregistered firearms devices.

According to charging documents, in May 2026, Germantown police officers responded to Houston's residence because he allegedly threatened an individual with a sawed-off shotgun. Subsequent investigation led investigators to obtain a search warrant of Houston's residence.

On June 3, FBI agents and the FBI's hostage rescue team executed the search warrant at Houston's home and discovered four destructive devices or pipe bombs and the sawed-off shotgun. Houston was not registered to possess the destructive devices or the short-barreled shotgun.

Houston appeared in federal court in Dayton today.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division and Germantown Police Chief Roy McGill Jr. announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter is representing the United States in this case. The Dayton Police Department's bomb squad and FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force are also coordinating on the investigation.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #