Police: Grenade, machine gun found in accused drug dealer's Puyallup home
File photo of a hand grenade (Photo: Getty Images)
TACOMA -- Charges were filed Friday against an accused drug dealer who police said kept a hand grenade in his bedroom refrigerator and also had a machine gun in his Puyallup home.
Joshua Lobben, 26, was charged with five counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, one count each of possession of an explosive device and unlawful possession of a machine gun, and five counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Lobben was arraigned Friday and ordered held in the Pierce County Jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail.
The Pierce County Prosecutor's Office said that on Wednesday, a narcotics task force served a search warrant at Lobben’s Puyallup residence. The office said that Lobben admitted to selling narcotics and warned officers that there was a hand grenade inside his bedroom refrigerator.
Sure enough, the State Patrol Bomb Squad safely removed the live hand grenade from the refrigerator.
The prosecutor's office said officers also found a safe that contained 480 grams of methamphetamine, 250 grams of heroin, 77 Ecstasy pills, 50 roxicodone pills, 21 hydrocodone pills, packaging materials, a digital scale and $13,000 cash. They also found a MP-5 sub-machine gun with the selector switch set to “full-auto,” the prosecutor's office said.
“Drugs, guns and grenades are a bad mix,” said prosecutor Mark Lindquist.
Lobben has three prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing or controlling firearms, his office said.