Likely Pipe bomb attacks thwarted

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A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly making two dozen pipe bombs with the intent of using them to hurt people, the Hillsborough County Sheriff said Friday.

Michelle Kolts, 27, faces 24 counts of making a destructive device with intent to harm, Sheriff Chad Chronister told reporters in a news conference.

It was Kolts' parents who notified deputies Thursday evening after they discovered "what appeared to be a significant amount of pipe bombs, other bomb-making materials and numerous weapons" in her bedroom, Chronister said

Each pipe bomb, like the one seen here, was filled with nails or metallic pellets, authorities said.

A bomb squad responded and rendered the home safe, the sheriff said. Each pipe bomb contained nails, metallic pellets or a combination of both, he said. It would have taken "less than 60 seconds per device to add the powder and fuse materials she already possessed to detonate each bomb."

Investigators also found smokeless pistol powder, 23 knives, nunchucks and "dozens of books and DVDs about murder, mass killing, domestic terrorism and bomb making," Chronister said.

Kolts admitted to making the devices and told detectives they were meant to hurt people, although investigators did not find evidence of any concrete plans to use the bombs, the sheriff said.

The only prior contact authorities had with Kolts occurred last August, Chronister said, when an online printing company said she ordered anarchist and bomb-making instructions. She displayed an "infatuation" with mass killings like the Columbine shooting and the Oklahoma City bombing, he said.

At the time, Kolts said she did not intend to harm anyone. Authorities ultimately did not feel she was a threat to herself or anyone else, Chronister said.
The sheriff commended Kolts' parents for calling authorities.

Sounded like she had a pretty sick "fetish"

The sheriff said Kolts was ruled not a threat at the time, though. Her parents told authorities their adult daughter was on the autism spectrum, Chronister said.

Online records show that Kolts was arrested at her job. Kolts was then taken to her home where she admitted to making the bombs, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. Kolts is facing charges of 24 counts of making a destructive device which is a second-degree felony. If found guilty on all charges, Kolts could face 15 years in prison.

In a press conference announcing Kolts’ arrest, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Kolts’ parents found pipe bombs in their daughter’s room. Chronister said that Kolts’ parents called the police immediately. The sheriff described the number of weapons recovered at the home as “astonishing.” The sheriff said that books regarding domestic terrorism and murder were found at the home. Kolts is suffering from mental illness and is “a little bit on the autism spectrum,” according to the sheriff. The suspect did not have a specific list of people to harm or places to attack, the sheriff also said.

The sheriff told the media that officers received a call about Kolts in August 2018 after a publisher raised concerns about Kolts’ ordering multiple terrorist and murderer’s manifests. The sheriff said that Kolts had become “consumed” with the Columbine High School massacre and the Oklahoma City bombing.

The sheriff’s office later tweeted photos showing a bow-and-arrow, multiple handguns and long guns, knives and an axe, all of which investigators say was found in Kolts’ home.

Kolts Studied Architectural Design in College

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Kolts is employed as a laborer at Chadwell Supply, a building maintenance company’s, Tampa location. Kolts says that she is an unemployed design drafter on her LinkedIn page. On that page Kolts says that she is a graduate of Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, Washington, and of Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington.

The most recent visible Facebook post on Kolts’ page sees her seeking donations for Stop Soldier Suicide, a charity set up to deal with the growing number of military veterans who take their own lives. Sheriff Chronister told the media on the day of Kolts’ arrest that the suspect’s parents are both in the military.

Kolts says on her Facebook page she has worked for Chadwell Supply since May 2017.

Sheriff Chronister said that Kolts’ parents were co-operating with the investigation into their daughter. Kolts’ mother is listed as being in the U.S. Army reserve and was formerly an employee of Boeing. The sheriff said, “You can appreciate the fact these parents had the courage to call us. It would have taken less than 60 seconds to spark those pipe bombs.”