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Pipe bomb, pistol found among woman's possessions at St. James Hospital

Sheriff Lester says woman likely to face charges
st james healthcare.jpg
Posted at 3:38 PM, Apr 18, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-19 10:53:44-04

BUTTE — Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement received a call on April 14 at 7:30 p.m. from staff at St. James Hospital saying a woman arrived with weapons in her possession.

The woman had come in asking for treatment when staff checked her belongings to find a loaded .22 caliber handgun and what appeared to be a pipe bomb in a duffel bag she brought with her.

Butte-Silver Bow Sheriff Ed Lester says the officers that responded looked at the bomb and carefully took it from hospital grounds.

"We have those items in our possession now. They were able to determine the device was stable enough for transport of course and wasn’t an immediate threat so we removed it," said Lester.

Officers were able to determine the firearm belonged to the woman, but what concerns them the most is the origin of the explosive found in her possession.

"We're just focused on the device itself and how it was created and the origin of the device and then we’ll go from there, but it’s going to take a while to clear this thing up," said Lester.

Lester says there will be charges at some point, but the department wants to get the full picture before making its next move.

"We’ll have more information as it goes on and it’s one of those things that we want to make sure that we have all the information before we make a decision." said Lester.

The case is still under investigation.