Police investigating pipe bomb found in Al Borlin Park

The Monroe Police Department is investigating whether a pipe bomb found in Al Borlin Park on Monday may be related to a domestic assault that ended in a car crash there over the weekend.

Officers responded to the 7-11 in the 200 block of East Main Street around 8:44 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, for a reported disturbance between a man and woman. The couple was gone when officers arrived, said MPD administrative director Debbie Willis.

The suspect vehicle was later located crashed into a concrete divider at Al Borlin Park, but the suspect had fled the scene. The woman involved in the earlier disturbance was found 40 yards from the crash site, and was taken to the hospital with a head laceration, Willis said.

A K9 unit was unable to locate the suspect that night, but he was taken into custody the next day.

The Snohomish County Jail Register shows James T. Rodgers was booked Sunday, Oct. 7, for hit and run injury, fourth-degree assault (domestic violence), vehicular assault, harassment (threat to kill) and fourth-degree assault (domestic violence-previous conviction).

A person walking in the park on Monday found a pipe bomb and brought it to the police department in the 800 block of West Main Street around 3 p.m.

“It was near the area where the guy crashed his car trying to hurt his girlfriend,” Willis said of the location where the person found the pipe bomb. “We don’t know if it happened to be there, or if it was in the car.”

An officer outside directed the Samaritan to leave the pipe bomb in the parking lot, and it was surrounded with cones until the regional bomb squad could respond from Everett, Willis said.

A device was used to cut the pipe bomb in half, she said, “and there was powder inside, so it was the real deal.”

For future reference, the MPD notes that if people ever do come across what looks to be an explosive device, to not touch it — call the police.