A pre-dawn drive through a quiet Russellville neighborhood exploded into chaos on August 19 when a Pope County man allegedly hurled a homemade explosive device at a passing vehicle.
Steven Gibson, 41, was standing on the side of Tanya Circle at approximately 5:00 a.m. when Aaron Hensley drove away from his girlfriend’s residence. As Hensley passed by, Gibson allegedly lit an object and threw it directly at the vehicle, triggering a loud blast that deployed the driver’s side airbags and caused an estimated $5,000 in damage. Hensley attempted to flee the area, but a neighborhood chase ensued between the two men.
When Russellville Police officers canvassed the area near Lake Hills Church, they discovered the roadway was littered with a piece of rebar and four handmade caltrop devices. Those are spiked tools typically used to puncture vehicle tires.
Officers also allegedly recovered a lighter and a Gatorade bottle half-filled with gasoline, which had a green fuse glued into a hole in its cap. Though it appeared to have been lit, the improvised incendiary device had failed to detonate. Security footage placed both Hensley’s white vehicle and a black Chevrolet Avalanche known to be driven by Gibson at the scene.
Police later located Gibson sitting in his Avalanche at the East Main Street Walmart parking lot and transported him to the station for questioning. While sitting alone in the interview room, surveillance cameras reportedly captured Gibson retrieving an unknown substance from his right pants pocket, cupping it in his hand, and swallowing it before officers could intervene.
A subsequent search of that same pocket reportedly yielded a “Big Kiwi” THC vape. Following the ingestion of the suspected narcotics, Gibson was evaluated by the fire department and medically cleared at Saint Mary’s Emergency Room before being booked into the Pope County Detention Center.
The investigation continued on August 21 when detectives executed a search warrant on Gibson’s impounded Chevrolet Avalanche. Inside, they discovered a glass smoking device resting on the center console containing a brownish substance suspected to be methamphetamine. This discovery led to a secondary arrest when officers located Gibson at the Probation and Parole Office a few days later on August 25.
Gibson now faces a slew of serious felony charges. Prosecutors have formally charged him with:
He remained incarcerated at the Pope County Detention Center as of October 22.
