Police Arrest Belvedere Man on Suspicion of Carrying Pipe Bombs in Van

By Bay City News Service.

Belvedere police arrested a man on suspicion of possessing marijuana and an explosive device in his van late Thursday night.

Officer Michael Celiberti saw a white Ford van parked on the side of Tamalpais Road around 10:20 p.m. and contacted two of the occupants, police said.

Celiberti smelled marijuana in the vehicle, and one of the occupants, Afton Wight, 18, of Belvedere, said he had a medical marijuana card, police said.

Tiburon police officers helped search the van and found marijuana packaged for sale, paraphernalia and cash, police said.

Celiberti also found three gray PVC pipe bombs, one of which had an exposed fuse, police said.

Police called the UC Berkeley bomb squad, which took the pipe bombs to an area of Blackie's Pasture and detonated them around 2 a.m. today, police said.

The Marin County police dispatch center reported several 911 calls reporting the loud explosion, police said.

Wight was arrested for possession of a destructive device, manufacturing explosives without a permit, possession of marijuana for sale, possession of a slingshot device, and possession of fireworks without a permit, police said.

The second occupant of the van was released pending further investigation.

Police and the Marin County Major Crimes Task Force searched Wight's home but did not find any more pipe bombs, police said.

Wight is being held in the Marin County jail under $500,000 bail.