Battle Creek man arrested after allegedly holding two women hostage with dynamite
NORFOLK, Neb. -- Several law enforcement agencies responded to an incident in northeast Nebraska Thursday afternoon following a report that two people were being held hostage in a car by someone claiming to have dynamite.
Shortly after 2:00 p.m., Norfolk dispatchers received a call claiming that two people were being held hostage in a car by a man.
The caller said the man was threatening to detonate a partial stick of dynamite inside the care. The caller said they were communicating electronically with a woman who was in the vehicle and stated the vehicle was traveling southbound into Norfolk.
Madison County Sheriff's deputies intercepted the vehicle near 13th and Eisenhower and initiated a traffic stop at 13th and Maple Ave.
A man was removed from the vehicle and taken into custody. Two women, the driver and a passenger, were also removed from the vehicle and detained while initial interviews were conducted with all subjects.
A cursory search of the vehicle yielded an explosive device. The vehicle was held until a technician from the Nebraska State Patrol bomb unit could observe and dispose of the item. Identification of the device will be made after laboratory tests are conducted.
As a result of the investigation, 37-year-old Kelly Red Tomahawk, of Battle Creek, was arrested for terroristic threats and false imprisonment, according to Madison County Sheriff Todd Volk. Both charges are felony offenses. Red Tomahawk is currently housed in the Madison County Jail.
Residents in the area of the 1200 block of Maple Avenue were asked to evacuate during the scene investigation as a precaution.
Assisting the Madison County Sheriff's Office were the Nebraska State Patrol, the Norfolk Police Division and the Norfolk Fire Division.