2 Men in Custody After Traffic Stop on Interstate 29 in Grand Forks County

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(KNOX) – On Wednesday morning at around 8:30 a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop on a southbound passenger vehicle on Interstate 29 for illegal window tint.

Based on probable cause troopers searched the vehicle and in the process located a device believed to be an explosive.

The Grand Forks Bomb Squad was contacted and responded to the scene. For public safety, southbound I-29 was closed between Thompson Exit 130 and Reynolds Exit 123 at approximately 10:55 a.m. while the device was examined.

At approximately 12:10 p.m., the device was safely detonated on site.

Following the detonation, the vehicle was thoroughly cleared using x-ray screening and search methods.

Evidence was collected from the scene, and the investigation remains ongoing. Southbound I-29 was reopened to traffic at approximately 1:00 p.m.

Arrested were 41 year-old Gabriel Messmer, the driver, from Fargo for no liability insurance and was given a warning for tinted windows and 42 year-old Christopher Knowles also of Fargo for possessing an explosive device.