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WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — A routine traffic stop in Walton County late Monday night led to the discovery of two pipe bombs inside a vehicle, resulting in the arrest of a DeFuniak Springs man on felony charges.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, deputies stopped a vehicle at the intersection of Smith Road and Highway 90 after noticing it displayed a cardboard tag marked “PRIVATE.” The driver, later identified as 37-year-old Benjamin Adam Roach, initially told deputies he had no identification. A birth certificate found in the vehicle confirmed his identity.
Further investigation uncovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the car. As deputies conducted an inventory of the vehicle, they located two suspicious cylinder-shaped objects. One was a capped PVC pipe, and the other was a heavily taped black cylinder.
When questioned, Roach admitted both devices contained gunpowder. He first denied the presence of a fuse but later admitted one of the objects did have one.
Authorities immediately contacted the Bay County Bomb Squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. After a joint investigation, the bomb squad confirmed the objects were functional pipe bombs and safely disarmed them.
Roach was arrested and transported to the Walton County Jail. He faces a range of felony charges, including making a bomb, possessing explosives, possession of a controlled substance, tampering with evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia. As of Tuesday morning, no bond has been issued.
The investigation remains ongoing.