Kentucky man arrested after domestic violence call leads police to explosives and booby traps on his property

A domestic violence call in Paintsville, Kentucky, quickly turned into a police search after witnesses reported a woman screaming for help. Officers responding to the Cross Creek subdivision found the situation involved more than the reported assault.

According to WSAZ, the woman was later identified as the wife of Robert Thomas Smith of West Van Lear. Police say Smith was beating her with “some type of computer cord” when first responders arrived and that he showed them a device in his hand.

Smith fled when officers arrived, according to authorities, prompting a short foot pursuit toward a hillside behind the property. Officers then encountered fishing lines and hooks tied around eye level and positioned along the rear of the property.

Police discovered suspected explosives on the property

Paintsville Public Safety Director Darrell Preston said Smith showed first responders a device in his hand that appeared to have been made with chemicals, a bottle, and other materials. Smith was later apprehended following the short foot pursuit.

Police described the fishing lines and hooks as booby traps. Smith’s wife and his mother, who was also present, were both taken to the hospital, his wife with serious injuries and his mother with minor ones. Investigators later found another two to three bottles containing similar chemicals and wiring, Preston said. The FBI and its bomb squad were called to the property to investigate the suspected explosive devices, as happened when new homeowners found live grenades at a rural Washington home.

A follow-up WSAZ report said investigators confirmed at least three explosive devices of unknown material and origin inside the home. The report also said Smith was uncooperative when investigators asked about the substances.

Preston said investigators found different types of combustible fuels at the property. He described the material as a “super Molotov cocktail.”

Authorities later cleared the area. WSAZ also reported that everyone in the home was moved to a safer location and that no one there was harmed.

Smith also had an outstanding warrant in Tennessee related to obstruction of parole, according to Preston. He faces “a slew of charges” in connection with the Kentucky incident, Preston said.

The suspected devices were discovered during the police response, unlike the explosives used in a grenade attack that left a mother seriously injured. The FBI agent handling the Kentucky case is expected to present it to federal officials, according to Preston, potentially leading to federal charges.