Woman charged in plot to detonate devices made out of Monster containers, police say

An Indiana 19-year-old is accused of making bombs using Monster Energy drink containers and planning an attack at her former high school, according to local authorities.

Evansville police were transporting Ahnna Tipton to St. Vincent, a local health system, for evaluation when officers at the medical facility found a “suspicious item” inside her backpack, according to the Evansville Police Department.

The object looked like a pill bottle wrapped in duct tape, with a matchstick protruding from the lid with a piece of cloth, police said. 

The officer found a second suspicious item inside Tipton’s backpack: an aluminum pipe sealed at both ends with duct tape. Inside the pipe, the St. Vincent Police Officer found incendiary materials with “a strong chemical odor.”

19-year-old admitted to making the devices 

Evansville Police Department’s Bomb Technicians responded to the scene and interviewed Tipton, who said she made the devices. She said she had two more at her home in Warrick County, about 24 miles east of Vanderburgh County.

Officials secured a search warrant for her home, where they found two more incendiary devices hidden inside Monster Energy drink bottles. 

Tipton told authorities she planned to deploy the devices at her former high school “with the intent to cause harm to others.”

She was arrested and charged with possession of a destructive device, Evansville police said.

It was not clear on June 2 who is representing her in court. Paste BN has reached out to police and St. Vincent for details on how Tipton ended up at the hospital for an evaluation.

“Thanks to the quick thinking of the St. Vincent Police Officer and the professionalism of our EPD Bomb Technicians, their diligence and teamwork prevented what could have potentially been a tragic event,” Evansville police said.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.