Makings of bomb found; Police evacuate headquarters, neutralize device in backpack

The makings of a bomb were found in a suspect’s backpack at the Wewoka Police Department Monday afternoon, prompting evacuation of police headquarters, its jail prisoners and those working in nearby downtown businesses. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad neutralized the device and no injuries were reported.
Wewoka Police Capt. Tracy Shivers said this case unfolded when police were called about a man allegedly having a “mental health crisis,” while walking in a downtown alley.
When officers arrived, the man, later identified as Bobby Wayne Tolbert, 51, was having an “imaginary fight with an imaginary person,” Shivers said. He was taken into protective custody, she said, and placed in the back of a patrol car for transport. His belongings, including a backpack, were put in the front seat of the patrol car.
At the police department, the process of logging in his property began as part of the detention. When Shivers opened the man’s backpack, she saw what looked like a bomb.
She reacted quickly.
“I carried it outside to get it away from our dispatch system,” she said, fearing the signals from police radios could trigger the suspicious device. She took the backpack to the back alley and blocked it off immediately.
Shivers said a nearby skate park was evacuated, along with a two-block radius around the police department at 114 W. Fourth. The evacuation included those working and shopping in nearby businesses, along with eight prisoners being held in Wewoka’s jail. The Wewoka dispatch center also was affected and operations were transferred to Seminole County’s central dispatch center.
Wewoka authorities called the OHP Bomb Squad for assistance. OHP technicians arrived with bomb detection equipment and used X-rays to inspect the backpack device, she said.
“It did have all the components to make a bomb,” Shivers said. Because some areas couldn’t fully be seen by the X-ray, Shivers said the bomb squad used a system to neutralize the device from afar and made it explode.
Upon closer evaluation afterward, Shivers said they found out the device had everything to be a bomb except the detonation trigger. With that, “it would have been a hot bomb,” she said.
After the ordeal was over, police worked the alley as a crime scene and gathered evidence.
Shivers said Tolbert has apparently been living in the Wewoka area, but police had no prior dealings with him. Because of the materials found in his backpack, he was arrested and jailed on complaints relating to possessing or passing a simulated bomb to another person.
She said any formal charges being filed will be up to the district attorney. Action may depend the outcome of a mental health hearing scheduled today, she added.
Shivers, who has been involved in three past situations where someone has called in bomb threats, said this scenario was much different because of what she saw inside that backpack. She knew she had to get the backpack out of the building.
“It’s not something as a police officer that you really plan for,” she said, adding they more often expect to find guns, weapons or other items. “My guardian angels were looking out for me.”
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Kim Morava may be reached at 214-3962.