Owensboro man charged for last week’s discovery of guns, drugs, explosives

October 3, 2019 | 3:30 am

Updated October 2, 2019 | 10:18 pm

Daviess County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the suspect believed to have involvement with an ammo box that contained drugs, guns and potentially explosive devices. Jordan Michael McClure, 30, of Owensboro was charged Tuesday with first-degree wanton endangerment and trafficking in a controlled substance while armed.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 26, when Owensboro resident Paul Davis came across an ammo box as he was bush-hogging a field near Countryside subdivision and Country Heights Elementary School. Inside the box, Davis said he found “handguns, crystal meth and three shrapnel-type bombs” and immediately called 911.

DCSO has been working closely with Owensboro Police Department’s Hazardous Devices Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Daviess Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office since then. On Monday, a search warrant was executed for McClure’s residence, where investigators discovered several items that matched those found in the ammo box, including a firearm box, watch box and various electronics.

Despite the evidence, the DCSO did not immediately charge and arrest McClure for the crime. According to DCSO Head of Criminal Investigations Major Bill Thompson, the lack of arrest stemmed from the determination that the suspect suffered from serious mental health issues.

Thompson said McClure was served with a criminal summons to appear in District Court on Friday morning at 10 a.m. for the charges against him. The Daviess Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office issued this summons to McClure on Tuesday evening.

The decision to serve McClure with a summons warrant as opposed to an arrest warrant was, again, based on the condition of the suspect’s mental health. Though it has not been determined whether McClure will be seen by a Mental Health Court judge, Thompson said he hopes the suspect receives a mental health evaluation at some point during the proceedings.

The judge could overrule that decision on Friday, Thompson said.

“He could absolutely be jailed after Friday,” he said. “It’s up to the judge to do what he wants to do with those charges.”

Thompson said McClure lives with his parents in the Stonegate subdivision in east Daviess County. McClure lives approximately 1,700 feet away from where the ammo box was discovered on KY 54.

October 3, 2019 | 3:30 am

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