Homemade bomb may have caused Odessa home explosion, police say. Suspect arrested
An Odessa resident was arrested after investigators determined a home explosion Monday morning may have been caused by a homemade bomb, police said.
Emergency personnel responded to the 200 block of E. Otway Street following reports of a loud explosion, according to a news release from Odessa Police.
People who were “directly impacted by the incident” were immediately evacuated from the area, police said. Local, state and federal investigators remained on scene for hours with specialized response teams to determine what led to the explosion.
According to police, the nature of the investigation “shifted significantly” throughout the day. Initial reports suggested a natural gas incident. Investigators with the Missouri State Fire Marshall’s Office and the gas company Spire later determined the blast was not natural gas related, according to a news release.
Evidence gathered at the scene of the explosion indicated “chemicals associated with an improvised explosive device (IED) caused the explosion,” the news release said.
After discovering this evidence, Odessa police evacuated the area. The FBI, ATF, Missouri State Highway Patrol Bomb Squad and Lafayette County Drug Taskforce responded to assist the investigation.
Agencies worked to secure the area and announced Monday evening that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Investigators searched the damaged home and the single occupant of the home, who was not injured in the blast, was taken into custody, Odessa police said.
The suspect was transported to the Lafayette County Jail and official charges were pending in Lafayette County Circuit Court.
The suspect’s identity was not immediately available in an online search of jail booking records.
