GILLESPIE COUNTY, Texas – A Washington man is behind bars after they found explosive devices, ammunition and body armor inside a rented U-Haul truck, the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies said the discovery happened around 10 a.m. Wednesday while they conducted a search and inventory of the rented truck in the sheriff’s office’s impound lot.
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Officials said the truck was in their lot due to the Oct. 11 arrest of 46-year-old Zachary Richardson Rhyne.
Rhyne is facing a theft charge in Washington after he was accused of stealing $400,000 worth of coins and metals, deputies said.
During their Wednesday search, deputies said they found several suspicious devices inside that they deemed “threatening.” The Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office contacted the San Antonio Police Department’s bomb squad for assistance.
Unsure of the explosive devices’ capabilities, the sheriff’s office said a makeshift safety zone was created to detonate some devices. Other devices were defused safely by SAPD’s bomb squad.
In addition to the devices, deputies said they discovered cans of ammunition, a handgun, body armor, coins and metals inside the U-Haul truck.
Rhyne faces separate theft as well as third and fourth-degree assault charges out of King County, Washington. He was charged with unlawful possession of metal or body armor when he was booked into the Gillespie County Jail, records show.
The sheriff’s office said in a social media post that Rhyne could face additional charges.
In all, all three of Rhyne’s charges add up to a $1,195,000 bond, deputies said.
