Welfare check draws bomb squad after deputies find explosives on man in Spokane Valley parking lot

A Spokane Valley deputy conducting a welfare check found a man had homemade explosive devices Tuesday night, according to the Spokane Valley Police Department.

The deputy decided to check on a man and a female slumped over inside a car around 7:30 p.m. in a parking lot in the 2500 block of North Pines Road, police said in a news release.

The man, later identified as 38-year-old Michael Coniconde, told the deputy they were having car problems and parked in the lot. Coniconde said he did not have identification but verbally identified himself.

A dispatcher informed the deputy Coniconde had a possible warrant, so he was detained, the release said. After investigating, police determined Coniconde used a fictitious first name and had an Idaho felony parole violation warrant. Coniconde later admitted to lying about his name.

Deputies searched Coniconde and found a fanny pack and a small pocketknife tucked in his shorts, police said. Inside the fanny pack, deputies found two small carbon dioxide containers wrapped in yellow tape with fuses sticking out the ends.

The Spokane Regional Explosives Disposal Unit responded and confirmed the devices had “explosive capabilities,” and rendered them safe for disposal.

Coniconde told police he found the explosives in a toolbox he recently purchased at a vendor’s market. He believed they were firecrackers, comparing them to M80s, and intended to light one to see what happened.

Coniconde was booked into the Spokane County Jail for the warrant, possession of explosives without a license and making false statements to law enforcement. The female was released without charges.

Coniconde remained in jail Wednesday night on a $101,000 bond. He made his first appearance Wednesday in Spokane County Superior Court, and his arraignment is set for Aug. 29.