Pipe bombs found in man's glove box during North Carolina traffic stop; nearby gas station evacuated

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Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Pipe bombs found in glove box during traffic stop in Rowan County
A North Carolina man pulled over for having expired tags also had several pipe bombs and drugs in his car, according to Rowan County Sheriff's Office.

SALIBURY, N.C. -- A North Carolina man pulled over for having expired tags also had several pipe bombs and drugs in his car, according to the Rowan County, North Carolina Sheriff's Office.

The traffic stop happened at an Exxon gas station. The deputy said he noticed the driver acting nervously, so he called a K-9 officer for backup.

The K-9 smelled around the car and alerted its handler that there were illegal narcotics inside. When deputies began searching the car, they found several pipe bombs in the glove box.

The search immediately stopped and everybody in the Exxon was evacuated to safety.

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A bomb squad arrived and detonated the pipe bombs safely.

Deputies then arrested the driver, Christopher Wade McDaniel, for being in possession of weapons of mass destruction. He also faces drug charges and tickets for driving with expired tags and without a license.

McDaniel was booked into the Rowan County Detention Center under a $250,000 bond.