On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at approximately 10:00 a.m., deputies from the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) conducted a search and inventory of a U-Haul box truck located in the GCSO impound lot. During this process, deputies discovered several suspicious devices deemed threatening in nature. Consequently, the San Antonio Police Department Bomb Squad was notified to respond to the scene.
Additional support arrived from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and San Antonio Fire & EMS. An initial onsite investigation revealed that the suspicious devices were too unstable to be transported safely.
In an effort to ensure public safety, the area was secured with assistance from the Fredericksburg Police Department and Fredericksburg Fire & EMS. With support from Fredericksburg Public Works and County Commissioner Pct. 4, an onsite safety zone was established. Several explosive devices were removed from the U-Haul; some were detonated within the safety zone, while others were rendered safe by the bomb squad. In addition to the devices, deputies found numerous ammo cans filled with ammunition, a handgun, and body armor inside the truck.
The area was declared safe at approximately 8:00 p.m., and all responding agencies remained on-site until around 10:00 p.m. to conclude their operations.
This search and inventory of the U-Haul followed the arrest of a wanted individual on Friday, October 11, 2024. At around 9:30 a.m. that day, GCSO deputies received information regarding a wanted person possibly traveling through Gillespie County in a U-Haul box truck. The driver of the U-Haul, identified as Zachary Richardson Rhyne, 46, of Cathlamet, WA, was wanted out of Washington for the theft of over $400,000 worth of coins and precious metals.
Deputies located the U-Haul near the 6700 block of South US Highway 87 and subsequently arrested Rhyne on a larceny-theft warrant. He remains in the Gillespie County Jail as the investigation continues, with additional charges pending. GCSO deputies had recovered the stolen coins and precious metals prior to encountering the suspicious devices.
