A traffic stop on U.S. Highway 12 east of Lewiston on Thursday afternoon required the advice of the Spokane bomb squad after officers allegedly discovered an improvised explosive device along with drugs and guns during a subsequent search.
Officers with the Idaho State Police arrested two Orofino men, who face multiple felony charges. According to incident reports, Mark J. Callahan, 60, is charged with possession of methamphetamine, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an explosive device, all felonies. Callahan also faces charges for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
The driver of the vehicle, Rockie R. Jones, 59, is charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Both men made initial appearances in Nez Perce County District Court on Friday, where Magistrate Judge Michelle Evans set a Dec. 23 preliminary hearing for Callahan and a Dec. 30 preliminary hearing for Jones.
Evans set a $7,500 bond for Callahan, while she released Jones on his own recognizance with pretrial conditions.
According to an incident report, Idaho State Police Lt. Ken Yount stopped Jones and Callahan shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday, about 3 miles east of Lewiston after he noticed something dragging from their vehicle’s rear axle. Yount requested support, and Trooper Braeden Hammond responded with his K9 unit, Boston. The dog allegedly alerted to the scent of drugs when he approached the white Nissan pickup.
A search allegedly revealed the drugs and guns, including a .38 special revolver Callahan had concealed under his arm and beneath his coat, according to the reports. An improvised explosive device also was allegedly found in a backpack inside the vehicle, and Callahan told officers at the Nez Perce County Jail that it was a “very large fire cracker which contained black powder.”
Yount wrote that once the men were in custody, he initiated a conference call to discuss the explosive device with a member of the Spokane Police Department bomb squad.
“With their guidance, I was able to render the device inert by submerging it in water,” he wrote.
