OZARK, Ark. — The Fort Smith Bomb Squad was called to the Workman's Travel Center in Ozark Wednesday (Sept. 30) after a woman told authorities she had a camper with explosives inside parked at the location.
According to Ozark Police Chief Devin Bramlett, a witness at the travel center called Arkansas State Police (ASP) about a woman in a stolen vehicle at the Workman's.
ASP called Ozark Police, and when officers arrived at the scene they found a woman inside a camper hitched to a truck, claiming to have explosives inside. A negotiator with ASP tried to persuade the woman to come out of the camper.
The camper eventually went up in flames. Ozark Police told 5NEWS the woman set the camper on fire with a lighter. She was taken to a local hospital after firefighters put out the fire.
The woman has now been identified as Kendra Brassell, 40, of Colorado.
Officers fired two canisters of tear gas into the camper after spending the majority of the morning and afternoon on the phone with Brassell.
According to Chief Bramlett, Brassell was driving a stolen truck with a stolen license plate out of Colorado. They are still unsure whether the camper was stolen or not.
Brassell was treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation and is "okay" according to Ozark Police. She has since been transported to the Franklin County Jail.
Bramlett says Brassell will be charged with one count of Arson, two counts of Theft by Receiving and Threatening to Cause a Catastrophe, all felony charges.
Witnesses and the travel center told 5NEWS they were asked to leave the location. A manager at the Workman's said that the woman parked the camper at the site on Monday.
The Workman's Travel Center is on Highway 23, north of I-40 in Ozark. It is one of the largest gas stations in the region.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
bomb squad at workman's
