Police: Bomb-making materials found in Faribault residence

Officers were called to a disturbance in the 500 block of First St. NW Friday, according to a news release from the Faribault Police Department.

Officers determined the young man was having a mental health crisis. The teen is autistic and does not communicate verbally, according to a search warrant application. He was in his bedroom when police arrived.

A relative said the teen was out of control but usually calms down when police are called. The teen had stabbed a knife into a countertop earlier in the day, according to the warrant document written by a Faribault police detective.

The teen had twice before made pipe bombs, the relative reported. The pipe bombs were found in Faribault and in Northfield and were detonated by bomb squads, the warrant application notes.

The relative said he had recently caught the teen mixing chemicals trying to make chlorine gas, which can be poisonous and fatal if a strong concentration is inhaled.

The relative showed officers an area he described as a “workshop.” Officers observed “numerous unidentified chemicals” in unlabeled containers, “unidentified powders,” electrical wires, circuit boards, and “cylindrical metallic devices,” the search warrant states.

Officers exited the residence and secured the scene, according to the Police Department news release. Multiple agencies with experience dealing with explosives were called in to assist.

“Officers and detectives did an excellent job of recognizing the potential hazards presented to them during this incident and summoning the necessary resources to Faribault,” Police Chief John Sherwin said in a statement.

A judge granted the search warrant. The warrant document made public Monday in Rice County District Court lists seized items including “M-type explosive devices,” “explosives box,” “timing cord” a “cinder block with pipe attached,” “screws and misc sharp objects” and “misc containers of chemicals and liquids.”

Marijuana, hemp and other THC products also reportedly were found in the residence.

The 18-year-old was taken to a hospital and remained there on a mental health hold Monday. He has not been charged.

State and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are assisting the Faribault Police Department with an investigation, according to the news release.