Authorities find car full of explosives

BONNE TERRE – Authorities discovered an abandoned vehicle Tuesday that contained nearly three pounds of C4 explosives.

The St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department went to check out an abandoned vehicle call Tuesday morning in a residential area located in East Bonne Terre.

&#8220Deputies observed what was believed to be explosives and blasting caps through the windows of the vehicle,” said St. Francois County Sheriff Dan Bullock. &#8220Officers secured the scene and called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ATF sent a specialist down to disarm the explosives.”

Bullock said the explosives turned out to be nearly three pounds of C4 explosives along with blasting caps.

&#8220The ATF specialist set off the explosives at a secure location,” Bullock said. &#8220Based on what we saw had those gone off in a residential neighborhood, it would have done a lot of property damage and probably would have caused injuries and possibly fatalities. We are currently looking for the owner of the vehicle.”

Bullock said the owner had been serving a 60-day sentence in the St. Francois County Jail for an unrelated offense, but was released two weeks ago.

&#8220According to neighbors, the vehicle had been parked in the East Bonne Terre neighborhood for three months,” Bullock said. &#8220Any kind of battery could have been used to set off the explosives. We don’t know why at this point the explosives were inside the vehicle or why the vehicle was parked where it was. All we know is who the owner of the vehicle is and that he was staying in Bonne Terre at a different location.”

Bullock said the ATF and the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department are looking for the man for questioning in reference to the explosive-filled vehicle.

&#8220We were lucky that we got to these before they were set off,” Bullock said.