APD tight-lipped about former Army bomb expert’s plan for homemade devices
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Atmore police refused this week to confirm or deny reports that a former U.S. Army explosives disposal technician suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) — arrested last Tuesday, October 15, after two homemade bombs were discovered inside his residence — had plans to detonate the devices, or whether the devices were even armed.
In a response to a request for additional information on the arrest of 34-year-old Trenton Lofton, APD Sgt. Darrell McMann answered all questions except whether Lofton made a statement to authorities as to his intent, or if the explosive devices included working detonators.
Lofton reportedly moved here recently from Mobile and lived with a relative, for whom he worked as a flooring installer. He was formerly an Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Tech.
Police reports indicate the circumstances leading to Lofton’s arrest began to unfold on October 14, when officers were sent to a residence on Pleasant Hill Circle, which is located just off Woods Road, about midway between Alabama 21 and Jack Springs Road.
Local lawmen contacted Lofton, who was” extremely upset about some personal issues,” and reports show the officers were able to dispel his concerns. However, during his talk with police, Lofton “made a few statements that were concerning,” and a follow-up investigation was launched.
By the next day, APD officers had determined that Lofton was a former military bomb disposal technician who had been undergoing treatment for PTSD and that he “had possibly constructed two homemade explosive devices.”
APD investigators obtained a search warrant for the Pleasant Hill Circle address and found the improvised explosive devices. They contacted the Mobile Police Department Bomb Squad, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency SWAT team, which includes crisis negotiators.
While awaiting their arrival, APD investigators learned that Lofton was at the local Walmart. Police converged on the scene and conducted a traffic stop as Lofton was about to leave the retail store. He was taken into custody without incident.
Meanwhile, McMann reported, APD secured the area around the entrance into Walmart and stopped traffic in both directions on Alabama 21 for “about 10 minutes” while an ATF bomb tech checked Lofton’s vehicle for explosive devices.
When none were found in the vehicle, the highwy and the entrance into Walmart were reopened for traffic, and the investigation centered on Lofton’s residence. According to police reports, the Mobile Police Department Bomb Squad and an ATF bomb tech “meticulously searched the property and found two explosive devices which were rendered safe.”
A MedStar ambulance was also sent to Woods Road and remained until the all-clear was given.
“They were placed on standby on Woods Road during the time the bomb squad was clearing the property,” said McMann, who added that the emergency medical personnel remained on standby for “approximately an hour and a half to two hours.”
The incident at Walmart began around 3 p.m. Lofton was apparently questioned extensively before he was taken to the Escambia County Detention Center, where he was booked at 9:22 p.m.
He remained in the county lockup early Tuesday, October 22, charged with one count of possession or distribution of a destructive device or weapon intended to cause injury or destruction.