After police received multiple reports of explosions at a Port Orchard apartment complex just west of Highway 16 on Saturday night, a 53-year-old resident of the complex was arrested on suspicion of possessing explosives.
Port Orchard Police officers responded to several calls around 8 p.m. from the Sinclair Apartments, at 414 SW Hayworth Drive, describing multiple explosions nearby, according to a probable cause statement for the man's arrest. The first officer to arrive spoke with a witness who said that he had seen middle-aged man in a hoodie walking around the area before an explosion went off. The officer walked around the area in which the explosions were heard, but did not find any debris or evidence of any explosions, and left shortly after.
Approximately two hours later, police received several more calls citing continued explosions. A second police officer in the area had seen flashes and heard three loud booms, according to a Port Orchard police report. She saw a man in a hoodie walking away from the same trail her colleague had checked, and when the initial responding officer returned to the scene the two found three fresh holes in the ground, along with explosive debris including silver cardboard and black powder.
A man matching the earlier description of the suspect was seen walking back from a nearby grocery store, and officers observed that he was intoxicated and carrying a bottle of liquor purchased at the nearby Safeway, according to the report. When asked if he had heard the recent explosions, the 53-year-old, who confirmed to police he is a resident of the apartment complex initially, said no. Moments later he changed his answer to yes, but claimed he didn’t know anything about the noise. The officer's report noted that the man had a lighter and told police it was because he smoked, though he did not have any cigarettes at the time. No evidence connecting the man to the explosions was found, and he was released.
Due to the number of calls and concern that had been received that night, the officers remained near the scene. The first parked across the street with a clear view of a trail to the area in which the explosions had been reported. At approximately 11 p.m. the officer saw the same man walking around the area. After losing sight of him, the officer heard explosions again and started following the suspect on foot.
The second Port Orchard officer had parked and waited from a different angle. She also saw the suspect walking behind the apartment complex after explosions were heard, and quickly followed on foot.
The two officers spotted the suspect again, and after the suspect initially ignored orders to stop the officers were able to apprehend the man. Another search of the suspect turned up a lighter, and two explosives with cardboard coverings that matched the debris found at the other explosion cites. In the police report the officers identified the explosives as M-1000s, which are illegal to possess.
The man was arrested and taken to Kitsap County Jail, where he was held on $100,000 bail and charged in Kitsap Superior Court on Monday with possession of an explosive device.
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