Robert Vasseur Pulled Over With 49 Bombs In Car During Routine Traffic Stop In Sonoma County
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There's a pretty standard list of illegal things most police officers expect to find in someone's car when making a routine traffic stop--open containers of alcohol, an unlicensed firearm, illegal drugs, maybe even an outlawed exotic pet.
A cache of 49 homemade explosive devices probably doesn't rank all that high on the list; however, that's precisely what Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies discovered Tuesday evening when they pulled over 22-year old Robert Vasseur on Highway 116 in Sebastopol for a pair of vehicle code violations.
Sargent Michael Raash told the San Francisco Chronicle, after determining Vasseur was driving with a suspended license due to his failing to appear in court for a previous traffic ticket, officers searched his silver Ford sedan and discovered the bombs.
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported:
Members of a specialized explosives team were dispatched to the scene and searched the car, finding additional materials for use in making explosives and prompting deputies to obtain a search warrant for Vasseur's home, the sheriff's office said.
When police later searched Vasseur's home, they discovered more homemade explosives, bomb-making components and a number of rifles and handguns. In the process of the search, they encountered 50-year old Tamblyn Borton, who was uncooperative with the deputies and was arrested after lunging at two of them.
Possession of the explosive devices is a felony offense.
Both Vasseur and Borton are booked at Sonoma County jail, with bails set at $50,000 and $2,500 respectively. Vasseur's arraignment is set for Thursday afternoon.
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Aaron Sankin
First Posted: 02/23/2012 2:48 pm Updated: 02/23/2012 3:05 pm