A 26-year-old Port Townsend man was arrested for felony mail theft and possession of explosives without a license after he drove into a retaining wall outside a home on U Street in Port Townsend just before 2 a.m. Saturday.

Michael Joseph Pate made his first appearance in Jefferson County Superior Court Monday.

Police were called early Saturday to U Street after multiple callers complained about a driver who had been revving his truck’s engine for more than 30 minutes.

Officers found a red Mazda pickup truck that was stuck on a lawn-retaining wall, and noticed ruts in the driveway and the lawn where the driver had made repeated attempts to free his truck.

Police said the driver, later identified as Pate, said he had turned into the small dirt driveway thinking it was Cherry Street and got stuck.

Pate spoke slowly and seemed to have a slight slur, but an officer did not think it was enough to arrest him for driving under the influence.

Instead, Pate was allowed to continue to try to dislodge his truck while officers at the scene talked about the possibility of calling in a tow truck.

When one of the officers walked around the truck, however, he saw the end of a handgun in the front seat that was partially hidden by unopened mail.

When asked, Pate said he didn’t know the gun was in the truck but said he had picked up an 18-year-old acquaintance from the county jail the night before, and that he had probably left the weapon in his truck.

When the officer asked how an 18-year-old just out of jail would have a handgun in his possession, Pate allegedly said his friend’s girlfriend may have left it in the truck. 

Police were given permission to search the truck, and officers retrieved the handgun. 

Police also found more than 10 pieces of mail from four different locations that were not near where Pate lives; from
U Street, Monroe Street, Q Street, and Clallam Street.

When asked about the mail, Pate said that when driving around, if he saw an open mailbox, he would stop and take the mail “so he could drop it off at a blue postal mailbox to return the mail,” according to court documents.

Police also found a set of metal knuckles and a “homemade improvised explosive device.” 

The device appeared to be a brick of firecrackers that had been rolled up into a ball and tightly wrapped with electric tape. A fuse was coming out one end.

Police noted that possessing fireworks is illegal and possessing a homemade improvised explosive device without a license is a Class C felony.

When asked about the metal knuckles, Pate allegedly said he wanted to make them into a seatbelt handle, according to court documents.

He also allegedly said the homemade device was made by someone who lives at his house and he took it and put it in his truck.

The explosive device was turned over to a Washington State Patrol bomb squad.

Port Townsend police noted they received a call later Saturday morning about mailboxes that had been opened in the 300 block of R Street in what looked like an attempted mail theft.

During Pate’s court appearance Monday, attorney Richard Davies noted that the explosive device was described as a brick of firecrackers in the police report and asked that Pate be released on his own personal recognizance.

Prosecuting Attorney James Kennedy noted that Pate did not have prior criminal convictions, though some misdemeanors were pending in district court, and asked that bail be set at $5,000 because Pate was a danger to the community.

Judge Keith Harper agreed, and set bail at $5,000.

“Some bail is appropriate,” Harper said.

Pate’s arraignment has been set for Friday, March 5.

Pate’s home on Hendricks Street in Port Townsend was searched for explosive-making materials after police received a warrant Monday. The search included members of the Port Townsend Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, and a bomb squad from the Washington State Patrol.