LABETTE COUNTY — A suspect accused of setting off an explosive device at the county courthouse last week in Labette County made a court appearance in the case. James Dale Sutton, 63, has been charged with arson, criminal use of explosives, aggravated interference of public business and criminal littering on public property, according to online jail records.
Just before 5a.m. August 15, someone set off the improvised explosive device in the dumpster at the Labette County Judicial Center in Parsons, according to a media release from the sheriff's office.
Officers with Labette County Sheriff’s Office watched surveillance video and observed a suspect later identified as Sutton placing the device in the dumpster. Deputies took Sutton into custody and he remains jailed without bond, according to online jail records.
ATF, FBI and KBI are assisting with the investigation.