FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JPD Bomb Team Called Out and Disrupts Explosive Device

JACKSON – At about 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night, officers from the Jackson Police
Department were dispatched to the Cottonwood Park area in response to a report of explosives in
a residence. Officers inspected the item in question and determined there was a good likelihood
that there were explosives in the container.

Jackson Police Department’s Bomb Technician, Andy Pearson, was called to the scene to
evaluate the container and its contents. Corporal Pearson X-rayed the container and found what
appeared to be blasting caps and other objects that could have been explosives.
Pearson called out other members of the regional Bomb Task Force team, which has
members from the Jackson Police Department, the Teton County and Sweetwater County
Sheriffs’ Offices, and the Green River and Rock Springs Police Departments. The container was
taken to a safe area south of town by the team and was opened by the Sweetwater County bomb
robot.

Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Technician Tony Niemiec then approached
the container while wearing a protective bomb suit. He determined there were two blasting caps
with long wires attached and a large package of explosives. He also determined that when the
container was opened, the objects became separated and were no longer volatile. The items were
then collected and stored as evidence in an explosives bunker. Both the Jackson Police
Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms will be reviewing the incident to
determine the proper charges to be filed.

The police department reminds all residents and visitors that explosives of any kind are
extremely dangerous and must never be stored in a residential neighborhood or business. If
anyone knows of explosives being stored unsafely or if anyone finds unattended explosives,
please call the Jackson Police Department or Teton County Sheriff’s Office at 733-2331.