Newark man arrested after bomb left at sheriff’s office

NEWARK — A Newark man is facing a felony charge after he allegedly left explosive material at the Licking County sheriff’s office, prompting an evacuation Tuesday morning.

Theodore D. Jenkins, 50, of Newark, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with one count of criminal use of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapon or explosive device, a second-degree felony.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Licking County Common Pleas Court Wednesday, Jenkins entered the sheriff’s office lobby about 11:30 a.m. and dropped a package. He told officers the package contained “red phosphorous” and left.

Deputies quickly cleared the office and called in the Columbus Fire Department

Bomb Squad and Newark Division of Fire. The jail was not affected by the evacuation.

The bomb squad confirmed that the package contained phosphorous trichloride, which the complaint described as “a highly explosive and volatile substance.”

If convicted of the second-degree felony charge, Jenkins faces up to eight years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine.

A Columbus man has died after being struck by a vehicle on Sullivant Avenue on the West Side.

Kevin Harden, 64, of the West Side, was struck about 3:40 p.m. Tuesday on Sullivant Avenue between Wedgewood and Holly Hill drives, according to a crash report.

A woman who called 911 told the dispatcher that she had been driving on Sullivant when a man ran in front of her, and she struck him, Columbus police said.

Harden was taken to Ohiohealth Grant Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 4:45 p.m., police reported.

His death is the 27th traffic fatality in the city in 2020.

The driver, identified in the report as 24-year-old Jaricah Wright of the West Side, stayed at the scene, police said.

The Columbus police Accident Investigation Unit is handling the case. jwoods@dispatch.com @Woodsnight