A traffic stop in North Vernon over a suspended license spiraled into a hazardous materials investigation yesterday afternoon, after officers said they smelled marijuana, found methamphetamine, and then discovered a homemade explosive device sitting inside the same vehicle. The driver, 66-year-old David Axsom of Columbus, Indiana, is now facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges spanning two counties, and the fallout led police straight to his front door roughly 25 miles away.
According to The Republic, North Vernon officers pulled Axsom over on suspicion of driving with a suspended license around 2 p.m. Monday. What began as a routine license check changed quickly once officers reported detecting the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, prompting a probable cause search, as detailed by Eagle Country 99.3.
That search turned up marijuana, and then methamphetamine positioned directly next to Axsom, which he allegedly tried to hide, according to the same report from The Republic. It was in the course of digging deeper that officers say they located a homemade explosive device inside the vehicle, a discovery serious enough to bring in outside help fast.
Roads Closed, Bomb Squad Called In
Indiana State Police responded to the scene, and officers closed nearby roadways as a public-safety precaution while the situation was contained, per Eagle Country 99.3's reporting. The Columbus Police Department Bomb Squad, which functions as a regional hazardous devices unit providing explosive ordnance disposal support across south-central Indiana, according to WTHR, was called in specifically because North Vernon's own department lacks that specialized capability.
Indiana State Police and the Columbus bomb squad ultimately disposed of the device safely, per the same reporting. It isn't the first time North Vernon police have needed that kind of outside assistance — back in January 2020, the department called in an explosives disposal unit after a search warrant turned up suspicious explosive items along with more than 70 firearms, according to a Facebook post from the North Vernon Police Department at the time.
Search Warrant in Columbus Nets Three More Arrests
Investigators didn't stop at the roadside. North Vernon and Columbus police applied for and were granted a search warrant for Axsom's residence in Columbus, roughly 25 miles from the traffic stop along State Road 7, per Eagle Country 99.3. The two departments jointly executed that warrant, and the search reportedly turned up more marijuana, methamphetamine, multiple items of drug paraphernalia, and materials used in the manufacture of explosives.
The Columbus Police Department made three additional arrests at the residence, Eagle Country 99.3 reported, though the identities and specific charges against those three individuals have not been released. It also remains unclear what chemical composition the homemade device involved, or whether federal agencies such as the ATF might get involved given the explosive manufacturing materials found at the home — questions that remain open as the investigation continues.
Charges and What They Carry
Axsom faces a Level 5 felony charge of trafficking into a penal facility, along with a Level 6 felony charge of possession of a destructive device and a separate Level 6 felony charge of possession of methamphetamine, according to Eagle Country 99.3. He also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and prohibited possession of a handgun. It isn't yet clear from available reporting whether the trafficking charge stems from contraband found on Axsom during booking at the jail or from another aspect of the case.
Under Indiana Code § 35-44.1-3-5, trafficking contraband into a correctional facility escalates to a Level 5 felony when controlled substances or dangerous weapons are involved, according to B. Hicks Law. That charge carries considerably more weight than his other counts — a Level 5 felony carries an advisory sentence of three years with a range of one to six years under Indiana Department of Correction sentencing guidelines, compared with a Level 6 felony's advisory sentence of one year and range of six months to two and a half years. Separately, Indiana Code § 35-47.5-5-2 defines possession of an unauthorized destructive device as a felony offense involving an explosive, incendiary, or overpressure mechanism configured as a bomb, grenade, or rocket, according to Justia Law.
Axsom was booked into the Jennings County Jail in North Vernon on a $50,055 bond, per Eagle Country 99.3's reporting. All charges against him and the three others arrested at the Columbus residence remain preliminary, and everyone involved is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case echoes a similar incident Hoodline covered earlier this year, when a Columbus marijuana stop uncovered suspected explosives in a vehicle search. The Columbus Police Department Bomb Squad has also been busy elsewhere in the region recently, having carried out controlled detonations of old war-era ordnance in central Indiana earlier this year.
