An Ethel man arrested early Monday morning after police found drugs and a suspected improvised explosive device in his possession — causing a middle-of-the-night response by the Washington State Patrol Bomb Unit, was released on unsecured bail after his first court hearing Tuesday.
Thomas J. Murphy, 37, of Ethel, was charged Tuesday with possession of a controlled substance — methamphetamine — and granted $5,000 unsecured bail, based on a lack of warrant history.
He was booked into the jail the previous day on charges including possession of an explosive device, but was not charged with that crime.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said he couldn’t comment on specifics of the case, but said he was waiting on more information to consider charges related to the alleged bomb.
Halstead confirmed that Murphy was arrested with what was believed to be a bomb.
“There was a reason the bomb squad was called,” he said.
At 1:55 a.m. Monday, a deputy with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle for having no license plates in the 200 block of Kerron Avenue in Winlock.
The driver, identified as Murphy, was initially arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license. A search subsequent to his arrest revealed suspected methamphetamine in his possession and he was arrested on that charge as well.
According to court documents, Murphy attempted to swallow the baggie containing the suspected methamphetamine, “but the officers were able to prevent him from swallowing it.”
According to the sheriff’s office, Murphy asked the deputy to get his backpack out of the vehicle before he was taken to the jail. The deputy looked in the backpack and found what appeared to be an improvised explosive device composed of “two small cylinders,” each three inches in length with capped ends that were taped together, according to the sheriff’s office. Fuses connected the two cylinders.
The Washington State Patrol Bomb Unit responded and defused the device. Murphy was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 5:17 a.m. Monday, according to jail records.
