Leavenworth police said the man wanted in connection to two reports of cars being damaged by explosive devices is in custody.
Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said Simon Pohl was arrested in Hiawatha, Kansas, overnight in a stolen vehicle.
Police had asked for the public’s help in finding Pohl.
Leavenworth police said Pohl was wanted on outstanding warrants for “criminal use of an explosive device and possession of methamphetamine." This came after two reports of cars damaged by explosive devices in the city.
Sean Ehrman said someone used a pipe bomb to destroy his pickup truck early May 3 near the 1300 block of Lawrence Avenue in Leavenworth. Around 5 a.m., Ehrman said he heard what he thought was a transformer exploding.
When he went outside the next morning, Ehrman found his windshield had been shattered and nuts and bolts were scattered throughout the vehicle.
“So then we got to looking a little bit further and we noticed the hole in the roof of the truck where obviously something had exited and then on the floor was the remnants of a pipe bomb,” Ehrman explained.
Police said an explosive device also damaged a car on April 18 near Fifth and Delaware, which is in the middle of Leavenworth’s downtown business district.
Investigators believe the two incidents are related.
“I’m hoping it’s just an amateur at work, but you never know in today’s times,” Ehrman commented.
The truck, which sat in Ehrman’s driveway, was destroyed in the blast, but he felt better knowing his son was able to get a description of the suspect and pass that information on to police.
“Fortunately my son took it upon himself to look out the window and see an individual running down the street because he looked out thinking a tree had fallen,” Ehrman said.
Leavenworth police said Pohl was to be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information is asked to call police or call the “Clue line” at 682-CLUE.
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Shannon Halligan can be reached at shannon.halligan@kshb.com.
