HUTCHINSON, KAN. (AP) — Two men are facing charges after being arrested in South Hutchinson with about 80 homemade explosive devices in their truck, law enforcement authorities said.
South Hutchinson police arrested the two 18-year-old men Saturday night after locating a truck carrying a plastic tote full of completed explosive devices and materials for unmade devices, police chief Dean Harcrow said.
Homes in the area were evacuated for several hours while police waited for federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to process the scene, The Hutchinson News reported.
Harcrow said 72 of the devices were the equivalent of a quarter stick of dynamite and 10 of them equaled a half stick of dynamite.
The suspects apparently were making the devices at a home in Reno County and selling them to individuals, he said. The men allegedly were ordering products to make the devices from the internet.
Tyler Bryce Bontrager and Andrew Hoffman were booked into the county jail on possible charges of criminal use of explosives, Harcrow said. Both men bonded out over the weekend. The Reno County District Attorney's office is awaiting police reports before determining if charges will be filed.