Suspect in pipe bombs, explosives case taken into custody Friday

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Photo: Michael Cody Everett

A Baxter County man facing charges at the state and federal levels in an investigation involving pipe bombs and explosive components found on his property has been arrested.

Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says 35-year-old Michael Cody Everett of Clarkridge was located Friday morning near his residence on CR 1419, when officers from his department and the Arkansas State Police conducted a traffic stop. He was taken into custody without incident on a bench warrant and transported to the Baxter County Detention Center.

Everett had been hospitalized since last Saturday when he was found unresponsive in his residence from an overdose.

The investigation leading to the charges came after the sheriff’s office received a call Saturday afternoon of a possible overdose at Everett’s residence in northern Baxter County near the Missouri state line. When a deputy arrived on the scene, he was met by two women in a car waving frantically at him. One of the women told the deputy she had suffered burns on her hands and face when black powder Everett had been “messing with” exploded. She told the deputy she was headed to the hospital, and Everett was unresponsive in the residence from an overdose.

After emergency medical personnel transported Everett to Baxter Regional Medical Center, the deputy checked the residence and observed drug paraphernalia, along with three loaded firearms, two of which were sawed-off shotguns. Everett is a convicted felon, which prohibits him from possessing firearms.

A neighbor then approached the house and told the deputy three children had been at the residence but were now at a neighbor’s house. The children, ages 14, 10 and 5, were safe and uninjured.

Montgomery says officers found a long metal tube with a missing end cap believed to be a homemade pipe bomb outside the house. During a search of the residence, officials found drug paraphernalia, along with a baggie containing two chubs of Dyno Nobel Emulsion explosive material, time fuses and a time fuse blasting cap. Also found was three bottles of Pyrodex, a substitute for black powder. Another firearm was also found.

Outside of the house, investigators recovered another pipe device that appeared to have explosive material residue inside with the end cap removed, and wires were run through a piece of pipe connecting to the explosive portion of the device.

A large hole was observed near a bedroom window on the outside of the house. On the ground just below the hole was what appeared to be an exploded pipe bomb.

The female burn victim was interviewed Monday at the sheriff’s office, along with the oldest child. The victim told investigators she is married to Everett but does not live with him at that residence. She said she found the gun powder on the inside of the house and the outside steps and while cleaning it up, the powder exploded. She also told officials how Everett makes the pipe bombs and uses them to blow up various appliances and other items on the property.

Everett is facing felony charges of criminal possession of explosives, criminal use of prohibited weapons, possession of firearms by certain persons (three counts), meaning he is a convicted felony, possession of drug paraphernalia and endangering the welfare of a minor (three counts).

He is being held in lieu of $75,000 bond and is set to appear before the Baxter County Circuit Court next Thursday.

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