KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City-area man who approached a police officer, spoke to him and then placed an explosive device nearby was charged in an assault on the officer, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
John J. Horton, Jr., 36, faces Assault 1st Degree and Unlawful Possession of an Explosive Weapon
According to court records, late in the evening on Jan. 5, a Raytown police officer in a parked vehicle was contacted by Horton. The officer was sitting in his vehicle and talking to Horton until he placed a cylinder-like object on the vehicle's bumper.
It was wrapped in plastic and a red fuse was visible. Horton acknowledged it was a bomb, backed away from it and was taken into custody.
The Kansas City Police Department's Bomb Squad Unit confirmed the object was a viable explosive device and defused it. Prosecutors requested a $250,000 bond.