A Winston-Salem man was arrested Tuesday after police allegedly discovered a pipe bomb in a vehicle near the Mayberry Mall in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
After stopping the suspect for a traffic violation at around 3:05 p.m., officers searched the vehicle and found a cylindrical-shaped explosive device measuring nearly eight inches long inside the Dodge Caravan.
“The finding of the pipe bomb led to authorities establishing a perimeter around the vehicle near the front entrance to the shopping center…. members of the Mount Airy Fire Department and others, were monitoring the minivan around 4:30 p.m. while awaiting the arrival of a bomb technician,” reports The Mount Airy News.
Mount Airy Police Chief Dale Watson told reporters that officers “set a tight perimeter around the vehicle,” subsequent to discovering the pipe bomb.
Law enforcement charged passenger Glenn Springthorpe with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, carrying a concealed weapon, and drug paraphernalia. An unidentified woman accompanying Springthorpe was not charged following a search.
According to Capt. Barry VanHoy, the van’s occupants did not notify officers they were in possession of the pipe bomb. “They did not volunteer it,” VanHoy said. “[Police had] probable cause to search it through a K-9 indication.”
Police did not say why Springthorpe was in possession of the explosive, nor did they provide details on his upcoming court date.
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