Explosives in fatal Spokane County case found in Osburn

OSBURN - Detectives found bomb-making and methamphetamine lab materials related to a fatal Spokane County case on Tuesday night along a road in Osburn.

Cody R. Hathaway, 28, Spokane, died Saturday night when a homemade explosive detonated during a costume party in the 3100 block of East Denison-Chattaroy Road in northern Spokane County.

Detectives identified 19-year-old Christapher A. Harris as a suspect in the homicide and executed a search warrant on his apartment at 7723 W. Sunset Highway on Sunday afternoon. They recovered evidence in the case, some of which has been stored in the agency's explosives bunker until it can be positively identified.

Following Harris' arrest and the apartment search, detectives learned that he had removed bomb-making materials from his apartment prior to the search and likely disposed of them in North Idaho.

Detectives contacted a relative living in Shoshone County and received permission to search the home, but did not find any of the materials. However, detectives Tuesday evening learned that the items had been dumped in an open area along an Osburn road.

They responded there and found materials associated with bomb making. Explosives Disposal Unit technicians made the items safe before they were collected and returned to Spokane County as evidence.

Mixed with the explosives evidence was evidence of a meth lab.

Detectives Tuesday completed their search of a pickup seized earlier this week in connection with the fatal blast.

When they learned that the suspect's pickup was at his girlfriend's Staley Road home outside Deer Park, they had patrol deputies set up surveillance there. The deputies arrested Harris when he drove away from the home that afternoon.

Harris was booked into the Spokane County Jail on a single felony count of possession/manufacture of an incendiary device. He has since been released on his own recognizance.

At the time of the arrest, Harris' pickup was seized and towed to the sheriff's vehicle processing station where it was searched Tuesday.