A Grundy County, Tennessee, man is recovering after sustaining injuries from what authorities say was a pipe bomb that detonated at a home in Palmer late Saturday.
Deputies found suspected explosives, drugs, guns, ammunition and cash at a residence off State Route 399, also known as Stagecoach Road, in Palmer after a man showed up at the emergency room in Dunlap seeking medical treatment for injuries to his left side consistent with an explosion, according to a statement issued Sunday by the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office.
(READ MORE: Rhea County executive plans plea agreement in federal wire fraud case)
The injured man was identified Monday in a follow-up statement as Carl James Arnold, 33. Arnold was injured when he detonated a pipe bomb at his residence, authorities said. Sequatchie County investigators were initially called to the hospital and contacted the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office upon receiving the information.
Deputies responded to the Arnold residence and secured the scene. Investigators executed a search warrant with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office, according to the statement.
TBI spokesperson Susan Niland said Monday in an email the Federal Bureau of Investigation is also involved in the ongoing probe.
While searching the property, investigators located three additional PVC pipe containers approximately 36 inches long and 4 inches in diameter, Sheriff Clint Shrum said Monday in the statement.
“These containers were X-rayed and found to be full of ammunition,” he said. “The search also yielded approximately 70 pounds of marijuana, $7,700 cash and four firearms, including a fully automatic Glock handgun.”
Arnold was flown to an area hospital with injuries to his left hand, abdomen and face, Shrum said.
The residence was secured and a search warrant was issued. Deputies found what appeared to be a pipe bomb that had been detonated and three more suspected pipe bombs, authorities said.
Explosives have been found in Grundy before. Back in March 2019, Grundy County jail inmates were picking up litter on Daus Mountain Road when they came upon what authorities described as an improvised explosive device, or IED, in an area just north of Palmer.
No suspects were linked to that discovery.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the weekend incident is ongoing, officials said.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.