Malmstrom called for suspicious device

Havre Police Department officers got more than they bargained for when they impounded a vehicle Friday.

A section of the police station’s parking lot was taped off after officers found what appears to be a possible explosive device in the vehicle.

After the Tri-Agency Safe Trails Task Force used a search warrant to get into the vehicle and found the device, they called and waited for the Great Falls Malmstrom bomb squad to arrive in Havre to investigate the possible explosive device and dispose of it properly if it turns out to be one.

Acting Police Chief Gabe Matosich said Friday that it looked like it could be a pipe bomb of some sort and would need to be ignited in order to explode, if it is indeed an explosive device. It would have to manually ignited for it to go off. He said there is no need to worry about the device and that it is being taken care of.

This morning, Matosich confirmed that it was found out to be an explosive device after Malmstrom extracted it from the vehicle around 3 or 4 p.m. Friday.

He added that he is not sure how the bomb squad disposed of this device, but oftentimes, they will take the device and detonate it in a controlled environment to get rid of it.

As of this morning, Matosich said he is unsure of the status of the owner of the vehicle, as it was a Tri-Agency Safe Trails Task Force matter.

The Tri-Agency Drug Task Force deals with matters that concern drugs, gang-related activities, firearms and other issues. It is headed by the Havre Police Department’s Lt. Aaron Witmer, who is the director of the program, and C.J. Reichelt, who heads it. The task force is a cooperative between the Havre Police Department, the Hill County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.