A felon allegedly caught with a loaded gun and several homemade explosives south of Blythe was behind bars Thursday on $10,000 bail.
Andre William Armstrong, a 51-year-old transient of Blythe area, was arrested and booked Wednesday into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition.
A deputy patrolling the area of 16th Avenue and South Broadway found a truck without a license plate or windshield towing a trailer, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Lt. Michael Moulton said Armstrong was behind the wheel of the unregistered truck. The deputy searched the vehicle and allegedly found a loaded handgun, ammunition and “several homemade explosive devices. ”
Deputies from the sheriff’s Hazardous Device Team responded to pick up the devices, which were still being investigated.
Armstrong was scheduled to appear in court as soon as Friday, jail records show.
Sheriff’s officials said Armstrong is a convicted felon, but additional information about his criminal record was not immediately available.