Chicago man charged in Holts Summit suspicious package case

A Chicago man has been charged in federal court with transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines in connection with a suspicious package incident that occurred Friday in Holts Summit.

The charge against Jerry Banks, 45, was made public Monday.

Holts Summit Police Chief Kyle McIntyre reported over the weekend that Banks, who initially was stopped for careless and imprudent driving, had been turned over to federal authorities.

Holts Summit police were notified Friday morning by an off-duty Missouri Highway Patrol trooper that a vehicle with an Illinois license plate, driven by Banks, was going south on westbound U.S. 54 in an unsafe manner, according to an FBI affidavit. A Holts Summit police officer spotted Banks near the intersection of U.S. 54 and Simon Boulevard and stopped him after reportedly seeing Banks commit several moving violations.

A check of the vehicle's registration found the owner in Chicago had reported the vehicle stolen.

Banks was taken into custody for possession of stolen property. A search of the vehicle reportedly turned up methamphetamine residue, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Authorities also found electronic components, circuit boards, wire and chemicals, which led them to request the Highway Patrol to send its bomb squad - and the Highway Patrol in turn notified federal authorities.

While using a robot to remove items from the vehicle, technicians were unable to determine the contents of one item and decided to destroy the item by a controlled detonation.

Other items were X-rayed and deemed to be no threat. A specialized unit of the Missouri Army National Guard was requested to test an unknown substance - and it was determined it posed no significant risk.

After all items had been searched, it was determined there were no explosive devices and no belief Banks had intended to manufacture an explosive device.

When questioned, Banks claimed to have bought the vehicle from a woman in Chicago. He later confessed that the vehicle was stolen.

When asked about the chemicals and electronics in the car, Banks reportedly said they were for scientific research. Authorities said Banks showed signs of mental illness and allegedly confessed to getting treatment for such illness.