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Judge gives Kannapolis pipe bomb suspect $50K bond

Police officers found a suspicious item in a vehicle during a traffic stop along South Main Street, city officials confirmed.

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — A man charged with having a pipe bomb during a traffic stop in Kannapolis early Tuesday morning was given a $50,000 bond. 

Kannapolis police officers stopped the driver near the intersection of South Main Street and Springway Drive around 4 a.m. The officers found a suspicious item while searching the vehicle, according to a Kannapolis city spokesperson. A suspect, later identified as 41-year-old Jamie Stirewalt of China Grove, was taken into custody without further incident, police said. 

Kannapolis police said they also found meth, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia inside Stirewalt's truck along with the bomb. He is now charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a weapon of mass destruction.

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The device, which was confirmed to be a pipe bomb, was detonated by police at the scene. WCNC Charlotte's crew spotted a bomb squad vehicle and other agencies on the scene. At one point, the explosion happened beside a police vehicle. 

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Stirewalt was originally pulled over for having a fictitious license plate out of Virginia. Prosecutors argued to have his original $10,000 bond raised to $75,000 before a judge agreed to a $50,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear again in court on Sept. 6. 

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