GRAND FORKS COUNTY, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Court documents obtained by Valley News Live have revealed new details on a June 11 incident that led to the arrest of two Fargo men after an explosive device was found in their car.
According to the official documentation, the traffic stop was initiated after a North Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper noticed reflective tint on the front windows of the car, which came to a stop near mile marker 124 southbound on I-29. The Trooper approached the car and talked to the driver, later identified as Gabriel Messmer. The passenger was identified as Christopher Ringsrud-Knowles.
The Trooper says in the incident report that Ringsrud-Knowles was immediately apprehensive with him and appeared to be very nervous and irritated. He also noted that Messmer was fidgety and nervous as well. He brought Messmer to sit in the front seat of his patrol vehicle to explain the reason for the stop. Mesmer said they went to Grafton to see Ringsrud-Knowles’ dad and were heading back to Fargo. He says that Mesmer continue to show signs of being restless and nervous.
Another Trooper arrived on scene and advised that Ringsrud-Knowles had an extensive criminal history and a K-9 officer arrived to do an open-air sniff on the vehicle. The K-9 had a positive hit, which gave the officers probable cause to search the vehicle.
During the search, they found a cylindrical device wrapped in electrical tape, with an exposed fuse at the top. Ringsrud-Knowels claimed that it was a smoke bomb, but the troopers identified it as a homemade explosive device through previous training and experience.
The bomb squad was called to the scene, who positively identified the item as an explosive device. It would later explode while the bomb squad was working on it.
Both men are charged with felony possession of explosives, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
