By Pat Culverhouse

An 18-wheeler containing 22 thousand pounds of potentially deadly high explosives was discovered parked and unattended in close proximity to a local big box store for an unknown period.

Minden Chief of Police Jared McIver said a Minden PD reserve officer on a safety patrol at the Walmart store noticed the truck, with signs denoting Class 1.1D high explosives, parked closer to the building than allowed by law.

Class1.1D refers to a “highly dangerous material with a mass explosion hazard (1.1) that can detonate almost instantly. The “D” signifies it is a secondary detonating substance or article containing one, such as TNT, detonating cord, or bombs. These materials posed a severe risk to life and property during transport or storage.” 

McIver said the officer had special training from a previous career and stopped to check. The officer reportedly found no one inside the vehicle, which is a violation of federal law.

Law mandates that a motor vehicle containing hazardous materials, specifically explosive materials, must be attended at all times by its driver or a qualified representative.

“Our reserve officer waited by the vehicle and eventually made contact with two individuals responsible for the vehicle,” McIver said. “After explaining their violations, the officer contacted the state police for a qualified DOT officer who arrived and assumed the investigation.”

Although the situation was resolved without incident, McIver said the dangerous possibilities cannot go unnoticed.

“If bad things had happened, such as a detonation or if someone had been watching the drivers leave that truck unattended and decided to take off with it, there could have been tragic consequences,” McIver said.

“I’m proud of the actions of our reserve officer in this situation,” he added. “These officers serve without pay. They perform a valuable service for us. They are our extra eyes and ears on the street, and our full-time police officers have a world of respect for them and what they do.”

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.