In his decision, Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas said the government’s case against Harris, which relied entirely on circumstantial evidence, did not meet the burden of proof necessary for a finding of guilt.

“The unsatisfactory evidence regarding the proposed explosive device may well be enough to support an acquittal,” Justice Thomas said. “However, the circumstantial case as a whole, which includes the comments of Harris [to co-workers], does not convince me that the only reasonable inference to be drawn from the evidence is the guilt of the accused.”

Harris had been charged with intentionally causing an explosion likely to cause serious bodily harm or serious property damage; and disregard for human life as intentionally or recklessly causing damage by fire or explosion.

Following the acquittal, Harris broke into tears. Some members of his family in attendance clapped their hands and shouted “amen.”

“Mr. Harris has professed his innocence since the beginning, so we’re really glad to see that justice was served today,” Harris’ lawyer Ben Strickland said. “The system was able to work through it, and Mr. Harris can now move forward with his life.”

Shortly after 4 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2021, an explosion occurred inside the plant as thousands of workers were beginning their afternoon shifts. No one was seriously injured, but the blast led to the evacuation of the entire plant.

Prosecutors alleged that Harris, a janitor at the plant, had caused the explosion by setting an explosive device with a timer that went off inside a second-floor storage section above the assembly line. Prosecutors said that Harris was motivated by opposition to Stellantis’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which required all employees to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 1, 2022, and feared he would lose his job because of it.

Investigators pointed to a smashed industrial tote and an egg timer connected to an extension cord as evidence of a bomb. The justice, however, said there was a “complete lack of hard evidence” that the items actually had caused an explosion. No explosive substance or accelerant was found at the scene, nor were investigators able to determine the exact origin point of the explosion, the judge said.