Update, 2:13 p.m.:
Sources say one man was arrested related to the FBI controlled detonation operation conducted earlier today at a Belmont Street address in Beaumont.
Timothy Carl Welty, 53, and Mark Avery Rudd, 27, were detained and questioned while a female at the residence was released. Welty and Rudd share an address at 4885 Belmont St. where the FBI, fire department, police department, other law enforcers and hazmat crews were on-site for the controlled detonation. After officers checked his phone and computer, it was determined Welty was not suspect in the investigation and he was released. Rudd was arrested.
Officers had arrived earlier in the day to serve a warrant at the address. According to officers at the scene, hazmat, the FBI and fire department were then called. The FBI Bomb Unit was also called out to the scene.
A witness said Rudd had allegedly manufactured two makeshift bombs, which were safely detonated during the FBI operation.
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The FBI Beaumont office is advising residents that a controlled detonation in the area of Dixie Dr. and Belmont St. in Beaumont should occur between 12:15 - 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, as part of an ongoing law enforcement operation. Residents should not be alarmed, the FBI office said in a release.
"Please avoid the area of Dixie Dr. and Belmont St.; College St. and Dixie Dr.; and Sunnyside Dr. and Belmont St," the release said. "The FBI, in partnership with the Beaumont Police Department and the Beaumont Fire Department, is working to mitigate any potential hazards to nearby residents.
"The safety of the public and law enforcement involved is our priority."
An officer on scene told The Examiner that controlled detonations are usually done when suspicious packages or potentially dangerous items are discovered.
Photo by Sharon Brooks
