Man accused of having pipe bomb sentenced for fleeing police

A 43-year-old man who fled a traffic stop and was discovered with a pipe bomb in his car in early December was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Though Melvin David Bennett was arraigned in court Dec. 4 on charges of eluding and possession of a destructive device, on Dec. 23 a Lane County grand jury chose to indict him on just one count of felony fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer in a vehicle.

The same day as the indictment, Bennett pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months of probation by Lane County Circuit Court Judge Bradley A. Cascagnette. His license was also suspended for one year.

Bennett was arrested outside of his apartment in the 2700 block of Willakenzie Road after fleeing an EPD traffic stop at Seventh Avenue and Lincoln Street.

When officers arrived at his apartment, Bennett was sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. He was arrested on a warrant for criminal driving with a suspended license and failure to appear on a criminal citation.

A device in the vehicle, Eugene Police Department spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin said, required a response from the Metro Explosives Disposal Unit. The unit determined the device was a pipe bomb, an improvised explosive device most often constructed out of a metal pipe filled with explosive material.

According to court documents, Bennett has a history of felony convictions in Lane County, including possession of controlled substances, reckless driving, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, identity theft, second-degree theft, several counts of reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of methamphetamine and more.

Reporting by Haleigh Kochanski, Eugene Register-Guard (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect).