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Weapons Charge Follows Bomb Scare

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TBO.com

Published: March 14, 2009

ODESSA - A weapons charge has been added against a man arrested Thursday night after a suspected pipe bomb and guns were found in his vehicle, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said Friday morning.

William Franklin Pennypacker, 60, initially was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident, the sheriff's office said. He also now faces a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.

Pennypacker was arrested after deputies responded to reports of a drunken driver.

The Tampa Bay Regional Bomb Squad used a remotely controlled robot to blast the suspected pipe bomb. No explosive material was found in the device.

The Florida Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the scene at a Hess gas station at Gunn Highway and State Road 54. The gas station, as well as portions of Gunn and S.R. 54, were closed as a precaution.

Also found in Pennypacker's Ford Bronco were a loaded .38-caliber handgun, an SKS rifle, a Ruger rifle, a scope and numerous types of ammunition.

Pennypacker's driver's license lists his address as 1610 Reynolds Road, No. 40, in Lakeland, but he reportedly lives in the Odessa area. He has no previous criminal history, records show.

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