WILLISTON - A cache of explosives was seized by federal agents from a house in a Williams County home last week, authorities say.
Tyler Porter, 35, is accused of stealing about 230 small explosives known as shaped charges used in the oil field to finish wells, and storing them in a home.
He is being held on $1 million bond at the Williams County Correctional Center on felony charges of theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Williams County sheriff’s deputies, working with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, arrested Porter at his home Friday.
Police rounded up other reported stolen items, including tools, guns and ammunition. Items for methamphetamine use also were found, court records say.
ADVERTISEMENT
Porter allegedly stole the charges from an oilfield services company in mid-April. A detonation cord also was found, said Sgt. Detective Caleb Fry of the Williams County Sheriff’s Office.
Federal charges have not been filed in the case. An FBI spokesman from the Minneapolis office declined to comment and no one was immediately available from the ATF.
Porter is due back in court on July 7 for a preliminary hearing.