TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) - A Tampa woman who was accompanying a child has been arrested after she was charged with trying to detonate a homemade bomb in a Walmart.
According to Fox 13, 37-year-old Emily Stallard was arrested on Jan. 11.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Stallard was spotted by a security guard opening unpaid items, including flammable materials, projectiles and matches in a Walmart.
The security guard called the sheriff’s office and also notified an off-duty Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer who was in the store at the time.
Deputies said Stallard had a mason jar with fuel and projectiles inside and tried to light it before she was stopped by the security guard and the off-duty officer. The pair then detained her until deputies arrived.
“This woman had all the supplies she needed to cause mass destruction at her disposal,” Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “Had it not been for an alert off-duty law enforcement officer and a watchful security staff at Walmart, she may have followed through with her plans to cause an explosion inside the store. I can’t stress this enough: if you see something, say something. You don’t have to tackle a bad guy to be a hero.”
Investigators said Stallard also had a child with her to help make the device. “The defendant encouraged the child to engage in an act that could have caused great bodily harm and induced the child to become delinquent,” the arrest report said.
Stallard has been hit with multiple felony charges, including fire bombing, child abuse and attempted arson.
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