Bomb possession suspect charged

A Pomona man has been charged with the unlawful possession of an illegal weapon after Howell County Sheriff’s deputies found a pipe bomb in his vehicle last Sunday morning. Deputies found Rodney D. Smith, 36, slumped over the wheel of a car stopped in the roadway on County Road 5130, according to court documents. Corporal Matthew Roberts, Deputy James Wardrip, and Deputy Tess Jens made contact with Smith at approximately 7:00 a.m. on Feb. 19. He was arrested after deputies found him to have a suspended driver’s license.

Deputies began an inventory of the vehicle. Smith disclosed the location of the bomb to Corporal Roberts, referring to it only as a “pipe.” “Due to Smith’s involvement in illicit narcotics, I believed it was a methamphetamine pipe or other drug paraphernalia,” reads Corp. Roberts’ statement. Instead, deputies found a six-inch length of half-inch PVC pipe with caps glued on each end, and a fuse protruding from one cap.

“I immediately recognized this item to be a ‘pipe bomb’ style explosive device,” wrote Corp. Roberts. By noon, the Missouri State Highway Patrol Bomb Squad arrived on the scene, who confirmed the device was an active explosive device. They assessed the bomb and “rendered it safe,” according to court documents.

In an interview with police, Smith confessed he knew the device was a pipe bomb. The probable cause statement that prompted the charges calls Smith a danger to the community because he was knowingly transporting the bomb on roads throughout the county until the vehicle ran out of gas. 

Formal charges issued Feb. 19. In an initial appearance on Feb. 21, Smith pled not guilty. On Feb. 24, Smith’s initial bond of $25,000 was reduced to $10,000. As of press time, Smith remains in custody.