Explosives Found In Cda Attic Business Owner Helps Lead Officials To Stick Powder On Wooded Site
The search of a Coeur d’Alene business and the questioning of its owner helped lead federal agents to 80 percent of the explosives stolen from a North Idaho mine.
Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms continue searching for 100 pounds of deadly explosive stick powder that remains missing.
U.S. Attorney Jim Connelly confirmed Thursday that suspects implicated in the investigation have ties to a violent methamphetamine ring known as The Circle.
“Any additional comment I might make about that at this time could compromise our investigation,” Connelly said.
The chief federal law enforcement officer for Eastern Washington also praised ATF agents for working around the clock for more than a week to break the case.
“They did an outstanding job of defusing what I consider could have been a very dangerous situation,” Connelly said.
ATF agents found 10 pounds of the stick powder on Wednesday in the attic above Freeland Enterprises, at U.S. Highway 95 and Appleway, in Coeur d’Alene.
A sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun also was found hidden under insulation in the attic of the business, agents said.
They believe the explosives and the illegal shotgun were hidden by Kent Allen Johnson, 31, of Post Falls, who is acquainted with the business owner.
Johnson and Corey Lee Miller, 34, of Osburn, Idaho, are the only suspects charged in the explosives theft.
Federal prosecutors in Spokane are expected to argue today that Miller and Johnson are dangerous and should be held in jail without bond until their trials.
ATF agents were given permission to search the attic above Freeland Enterprises by Richard Crouse, who owns the security and telephone pager business.
Crouse, 35, faces an unrelated misdemeanor charge in Kootenai County, but isn’t charged federally in connection with the July 30 explosives theft from the Lucky Friday mine.
After questioning Crouse and confirming other leads, ATF agents obtained a federal warrant to search a rural, wooded site 16 miles southwest of Sandpoint.
There, on or near property owned by Tim and Christine Ramirez, agents found approximately 390 pounds of the explosives and all but one roll of stolen detonator cord.
“We don’t know where the other 100 pounds is at, but there are leads we are following,” said senior ATF agent Herb Byerly.
Two ATF agents were in the Sandpoint area on Thursday, pursuing leads after Wednesday’s seizure.
Agents questioned Crouse after learning he had been seen in recent weeks with Johnson.
Johnson was arrested Monday after a freeway chase from Post Falls to Coeur d’Alene. He admitted being under the influence of methamphetamine at the time.
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