A Union City man was arrested last week on explosive-related and drug-related charges.
Joe Ryan Thompson of 714 North Sixth St. was arrested at 2 p.m. Sept. 7 and charged with possession of explosive components, possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver and possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver, according to a Union City Police Department report released today.
Police reported they executed a search warrant for narcotics at Thompson’s home shortly after 10 a.m. on Labor Day. During the search, in a small chest on a coffee table in the home’s living area, police investigators allegedly found a pill bottle for naproxen marked with another man’s name and observed a plastic bag inside the bottle. When the lid was opened, an investigator said he observed pills that he recognized as alprazolam, a generic of Xanax, with a total of 20 alprazolam pills found in the bottle on top of the naproxen.
The investigator said he also observed in plain view on a computer table in the living area a plastic bag containing about 22 grams of a substance believed to be marijuana, as well as paraphernalia. Further search revealed an ammunition can beside a lounge chair, with the can containing a small tin with marijuana seeds and a razor blade, according to the police report.
While searching the house, police found several guns and a large amount of ammunition, as well as an abundance of chemicals used to make homemade high explosives, police reported. Several were reported to be found in a bedroom converted into a tool shop and work area, and police also indicated they found chemicals in a bedroom.
A search of a storage shed revealed a cooler that contained chemicals that, if mixed correctly, could also be used to produce homemade explosives, police reported. In addition, three blasting caps were found in a flower pot on the shed floor. They were recovered after being identified as explosives Thursday by Jackson Police Department bomb squad members.
According to the report, Thompson indicated in a statement to police that he had experimented with the chemicals in order to create black powder and thermite, both highly-explosive materials. He allegedly indicated he was storing the blasting caps for his mother.
Police said several computer downloads for how to manufacture explosive devices and how to mix explosive chemicals were also recovered from the home.
Thompson is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Obion County General Sessions Court, according to the report.
Thompson was arrested on the explosive-related and drug-related charges at the Obion County Law Enforcement Complex. He had been arrested last week on a charge of aggravated assault in connection with a stabbing incident earlier Labor Day morning that resulted in injuries to Taurus North of Union City, who was transported to a Memphis hospital for treatment.
Published in The Messenger 9.14.09