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Ohio man arrested in Kenly was hauling explosive substance

An Ohio man was arrested Friday after, authorities say, he stole a tractor-trailer carrying ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient in fertilizer that can also be used as an explosive.

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SMITHFIELD, N.C. — An Ohio man was arrested Friday after, authorities say, he stole a tractor-trailer carrying ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient in fertilizer that can also be used as an explosive.

A Highway Patrol trooper stopped the truck on Friday at the Flying J gas station and truck stop off Interstate 95 in Kenly.

Brian Rutledge, 46, of Carrolton, Ohio, was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest. He was in the Johnston County jail Monday afternoon under a $20,000 secured bond.

Authorities said the truck was stolen in Orville, Ohio, and that Rutledge knew what was in it.

Investigators said Monday that they are still unsure what he was going to do with the substance.

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