Five people face charges after bomb found in Holts Summit mailbox
Five people face charges after an explosive device was found in a woman’s mailbox last month in Holts Summit.
Holts Summit Police told ABC 17 News Thursday the suspects, a 17 and 18-year-old as well as three juveniles, were local.
A anonymous tip with the Jefferson City Crime Stoppers lead to the new charges. Holts Summit police followed up on the information with the help of a federal postal inspector.
Marc Haycook with Holts Summit Police told ABC 17 the suspects “were curious.”
“They were curious about explosives and had a little bit too much time on their hands,” said Haycook.
Haycook said the individuals came forward after the tip was received, and cited their willingness to cooperate in the investigation as a reason why investigators decided not to file federal charges.
Municipal charges will be filed against the two adults, and the three juveniles face charges in the juvenile court system.
An elderly woman found a suspicious package in January. A technician with the Missouri Highway Patrol arrived at her house on Venue Street about 20 minutes later.
After learning the explosive device was real, police shut down traffic and closed off a section with a 150-foot radius around the mailbox.
The patrol’s bomb squad arrived about an hour and a half later. The elderly woman was moved to her basement for safety before the device was disarmed.The item was rendered safe less than an hour later.
Investigators said the item was not a simple pipe bomb and had no reason to believe the woman was singled out specifically, but instead targeted randomly.
