Arkansas man is arrested for having SIX live bombs in his home – as cops say he was plotting to flee country in inflatable kayak to avoid upcoming trial in Texas
- Lawrence Hickman, 52, was arrested after authorities said they discovered six homemade pipe bombs in his home
- Hickman faces six charges of criminal possession of an explosive material or a destructive device and is currently being held on a $1 million bond in the Benton County Jail.
- He was found with two inflatable kayaks, along with an AR-style rifle, pistol, bolt-action rifle, compound bow, ammunition, black powder and a USB flash drive.
An Arkansas man was arrested for having six live bombs in his home, with investigators accusing him of plotting to flee the country in an inflatable kayak.
Lawrence Hickman, 52, was arrested after authorities said they discovered six pipe bombs in his home.
Hickman faces six charges of criminal possession of an explosive material or a destructive device and is currently being held on a $1 million bond in the Benton County Jail.
On December 13, Hickman was apprehended at a pier in Pacific County, Washington, where he was found with two inflatable kayaks – along with an AR-style rifle, pistol, bolt-action rifle, compound bow, ammunition, bags of black powder, laptop, USB flash drive and SD cards in his possession.
A detective suggested that Hickman was trying to flee the country because of an upcoming trial in Texas.
Lawrence Hickman, 52, was arrested after authorities said they discovered six pipe bombs in his home
Hickman faces six charges of criminal possession of an explosive material or a destructive device and is currently being held on a $1 million bond in the Benton County Jail.
It is unclear what charges Hickman faced in Texas.
Upon arrival at Hickman's home, officials found a bottle of chloroform in a dresser drawer, as reported by a woman who called police to report that Hickman had molested her.
According to the arrest affidavit, the woman called Bella Vista police on Dec. 9 and informed police that a plastic bag containing live pipe bombs had been found at Hickman's home on Bishampton Lane in Bella Vista.
The Bentonville Bomb Squad was called in, leading to the evacuation of nearby neighbors for safety reasons.
The woman claimed she did not know where Hickman was.
A neighbor told police that Hickman had expressed intentions to kayak to the Philippines, where his wife lived, and that he had plans to travel to Alaska via the Bering Sea.
The neighbor claimed the pipe bombs were intended for sharks and pirates, while the affidavit said the pipe bombs were intended for Russians.
Hickman's arraignment is scheduled for January 8.
The Shir Ami Synagogue in Pennsylvania evacuated their Hebrew school on Thursday after a bomb threat. Police and K-9 dogs found no evidence of a bomb
Two synagogues in New York were searched by police yesterday after bomb threats caused panic on Christmas Eve.
Police searched the Shaare Zion Temple in Brooklyn and the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx around 6:15 a.m. Sunday after a 911 call, NYPD told DailyMail.com.
The department could not share details about the threats the synagogues received, but said they were likely sent via email.
“Officers responded and searched the premises and found no devices,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “Nothing was found.”
The department said police would continue to “investigate and patrol” the areas affected by the latest swatting incidents – which is when people call emergency services about false threats.
Hundreds of synagogues across America have been targeted with threatening reports of hoax bombs since Hamas massacred about 1,200 people in Israel on October 7.