Man arrested after holding two people hostage with dynamite in northeast Nebraska, sheriff’s office says

NORFOLK, Neb. (KOLN) - A Battle Creek man was arrested in Norfolk after he allegedly held two people hostage and threatened to detonate a partial stick of dynamite Thursday afternoon.

According to a press release from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after 2 p.m., the Norfolk Dispatch received a call from a third party regarding two people being held hostage in a car by a man.

The sheriff’s office said the third-party caller was communicating electronically with a female passenger and said the man was threatening to detonate a partial stick of dynamite that was in his possession inside the car. The caller also claimed the car was traveling southbound into Norfolk.

Deputies were able to intercept the car near 13th Street and Eisenhower Avenue and initiate a traffic stop at 13th Street and Maple Avenue where they removed the man from the car and take him into custody, the press release said.

Two females, the driver and the passenger of the car, were also removed and detained while initial interviews of the people involved were conducted.

Residents in the area of the 1200 block of Maple Avenue were asked to evacuate while the scene investigation took place as a precaution.

During a cursory search of the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said an explosive device was found.

According to the press release, the car was held until a technician from the Nebraska State Patrol bomb unit could observe and dispose of the item.

Identification of the device will be made after laboratory tests are conducted, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office said 37-year-old Kelly Red Tomahawk was arrested for terroristic threats and false imprisonment which are both felony offenses. Red Tomahawk is currently housed in the Madison County Jail.

The Nebraska State Patrol, the Norfolk Police Division, and the Norfolk Fire Division assisted with the investigation.

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