A Jefferson City man is accused of making a homemade weapon.
Evan Hale, 27, is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.
A deputy allegedly spotted Hale early Monday morning driving through a stop sign at South Country Club Drive and Scruggs Station Road, according to a Cole County Sheriff’s Department probable cause statement.
Hale was stopped at Fairland Road and South Country Club Drive, and was initially arrested for driving while revoked.
When the deputy searched Hale’s vehicle, he allegedly found “a cylindrical object wrapped in black tape with a fuse protruding from it.”
The Missouri Highway Patrol Bomb Squad was contacted and advised the object appeared to be an improvised explosive device.
When questioned, Hale allegedly said the device was an old mortar shell firework he had altered.