EDISTO ISLAND – Agents from the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force have arrested the sister of a man facing charges in the Christmas Day bombing of an ATM on the island of Edisto, accusing him of making a bomb threat or conspiring to do so, according to the records.
Kelsie Lynn Ammons. Charleston County Sheriff’s Office / Supplied
Kelsie Lynn Ammons, 31, was arrested Feb. 10 in the Summerville area and held in the Charleston County Jail without bond. A bail hearing was scheduled for later in the day, according to sheriff’s spokesman Andrew Knapp.
Witnesses told detectives that Ammons was seen driving a vehicle used in the case that morning and that cellphone recordings also captured her phone in use on the island of ‘Edisto at the time of the attempted robbery, Knapp added.
His arrest comes about three weeks after detectives arrested his brother, David Earl Ammons II, 38, who is accused of setting off an explosive that detonated a kiosk that contained an ATM at the Enterprise Bank of South branch Carolina on Edisto Island. just after 9 a.m. on December 25.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video showing a disguised person placing a suspected pipe bomb at the door of a structure that houses the ATM before igniting a fuse. The device exploded and caused damage that allowed the subject to enter the structure, but the ATM itself was not hacked and no money was stolen. Subject wore a wig, hooded camouflage jacket, blue jeans, and beige boots. Witnesses said the subject rode in a dark-colored sedan, possibly an Audi, with a possible fishing rod decal on the rear window.
David Ammons II is facing charges of second-degree burglary, safecracking and using a destructive device, authorities said. He was taken to the Charleston County Jail on January 19 and waived his right to a bail hearing the following day. If convicted of safecracking, he faces up to five years in prison. If convicted of burglary, he could face 10 years. He could also face 25 years if convicted of using a destructive device.
Detectives from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ammons on Jan. 19 after locating him in Cottageville, a small town in Colleton County, department spokesman Andrew Knapp said. His arrest came two weeks after Charleston County deputies appealed to the public for more clues about the explosion.
Deputies previously released surveillance video of the incident, showing a heavily disguised person placing what appears to be a pipe bomb next to the ATM structure outside the Enterprise Bank of South Carolina on the Edisto Island, just after 9 a.m. on December 25.
David Ammons. Charleston County Sheriff’s Office / Supplied
The device smoked for approximately 40 seconds before exploding, after which the suspect re-entered the frame and approached the building’s door, which was knocked off its hinges by the force of the explosion. Although the explosion caused enough damage to allow Ammons to enter the structure, the ATM itself was not breached and no money was stolen, Knapp said. No injuries were reported in the explosion.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video showing a disguised person placing a suspected pipe bomb at the door of a structure that houses the ATM before igniting a fuse. The device exploded and caused damage that allowed the subject to enter the structure, but the ATM itself was not hacked and no money was stolen. Subject wore a wig, hooded camouflage jacket, blue jeans, and beige boots. Witnesses said the subject rode in a dark-colored sedan, possibly an Audi, with a possible fishing rod decal on the rear window.
The person in the video is dressed in a black wig with long hair, a camouflage hunting jacket and is carrying a pink backpack with flowers on it, according to an affidavit of arrest.
A surveillance camera recorded a disguised person placing a suspected pipe bomb at the Enterprise Bank of South Carolina ATM on Edisto Island. Charleston County Sheriff’s Office / Supplied
Surveillance footage also shows Ammons fleeing the ATM in a black Audi hatchback, according to the affidavit. Witnesses told detectives it was the getaway vehicle, driven by a second person, he said.
It was the second time law enforcement had encountered the accused in the sedan. A Colleton County Sheriff’s Office deputy contacted Ammons in the same vehicle in late October, according to the affidavit. The deputy located a black wig with long hair in the front seat of the sedan, which was captured on the deputy’s dashboard and body camera video, according to the affidavit.
After the December 25 incident, detectives recovered a jacket, wig and remnants of the explosive device, which were apparently dumped along a nearby dirt road. The captured wig was similar to the wigs shown in the October and December images. The jacket also resembled the one the suicide bomber wore at the bank, according to the affidavit.
To call Olivia Diaz at 843-901-2995. Follow her on Twitter @oliviardiaz.