A federal judge in Cheyenne sentenced an Evansville man Monday to four years in prison after a pipe bomb was found in his home last year.

A parole officer found the pipe bomb inside James M. Kennah's home in February 2007 and contacted police, according to John Powell, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming.

Kennah was arrested on child endangerment and misdemeanor drug charges, but local authorities said at the time they couldn't pursue local charges for the pipe bomb because they couldn't show he intended to use it.

In January, a federal grand jury handed down a two-count indictment against Kennah, alleging that as a felon, he possessed a pipe bomb and a blasting cap. Kennah was convicted in Hot Springs County in 1983 of delivery of marijuana and destruction of property, according to Powell.

Kennah could have faced the possibility of up to 20 years in prison if convicted on both counts related to the pipe bomb.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges in March. Two months later, as part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a pipe bomb, court records show. The government dismissed the other charge against him.

In addition to the prison time, Judge Alan B. Johnson sentenced Kennah to three years of supervised release. The court recommended he participate in a residential drug abuse program.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.