( CNN ) -- A paramedic who responded to a horrific , deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West , Texas -- and who later spoke at a memorial for its victims -- pleaded guilty Thursday after accusations he possessed materials to make a pipe bomb . Bryce Reed pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a destructive device and attempted obstruction of justice , according to his lawyer Jonathan Sibley . In August , McLennan County Criminal District Attorney Abel Reyna said he had n't seen `` credible evidence '' linking Reed 's possession of a prohibited weapon to the April 17 blast at a West Fertilizer Company facility . A fire led to the ammonium nitrate explosion , which killed 15 people -- most of them firefighters and paramedics -- and devastated West , a small town about 20 miles north of Waco and 75 miles south of Dallas . Dozens of homes , two schools and a nursing home suffered significant damage in the blast , which was so big that seismographs registered it as a small earthquake . Reed was among the emergency workers who responded to the site . He was vocal afterward as well , speaking to reporters and at a memorial service at Baylor University for the blast 's victims . `` There 's no way I would have ever dreamed that this would have happened , '' Reed told CNN 's `` AC 360 . '' `` I mean , it 's profound and it 's dire , and it hurts like hell . '' Yet Reed himself became a target of authorities after components of a pipe bomb were found at a residence , according to a criminal complaint affidavit . The officers determined that Reed had given the materials -- including galvanized metal pipe , a fuse , coils of metal ribbon and several bags of chemical powders -- to that home 's resident . In a statement , Reed 's lawyers stressed that neither the charge nor the plea agreement `` have anything to do with the tragic explosion . '' He chose to plead guilty , they said , `` to accept full responsibility for what he believes is his role in the allegations against him '' and avoid a drawn-out trial . `` Finally , ... Mr. Reed believes that continuing to draw out this process will be a distraction to the most important issue , the losses suffered by the heroes , friends and loved ones in the West community , '' his lawyers said .
2012 : John Reed pleads guilty to conspiracy to possess a destructive device . An affidavit says he sold someone components for a pipe bomb . Reed was among the first responders at a West , Texas , mine explosion that left 15 dead . He insists the deaths are n't related to the blast ; authorities have n't connected them .