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State | Kankakee County

Illinois man freed on bond in weapons cache case

BROOKPORT, Ill. (AP) -- A man has been freed on bond on charges related to a cache of weapons and bomb-making materials authorities say they found last week at his home in this southern Illinois town along the Ohio River.

Massac County prosecutors charged Michael Carrigan on Monday with felony possession of an explosive compound, namely gunpowder. He also faces misdemeanor counts of possessing a firearm -- three rifles and a shotgun -- and ammunition totaling roughly 22,000 rounds without proper identification.

Carrigan, who age was not immediately available, was freed Monday from the Massac County jail on $25,000 bond.

Last Friday night, police say, searchers of Carrigan's home found maps and photographs of unidentified structures authorities called vital, as well as several firearms, more than 45,000 rounds of ammunition, ingredients for making pipe bombs, and underwater equipment.

In Crittenden County in neighboring Kentucky, authorities found an additional 37 weapons.

Earlier Friday, Massac County authorities charged Carrigan with possessing a .357-caliber handgun without the proper ID card and with domestic battery for allegedly hitting a family member in the face, with both offenses allegedly taking place two days earlier.

A woman who answered the telephone at Carrigan's home Tuesday hung up on a reporter after he identified himself.

Brookport police and Massac County prosecutors have not returned messages about the case.