MISSOULA — Court documents are revealing more details on why a man set fire to an ATM machine on Thursday in Missoula that set off a small explosion.
The defendant, 57-year-old Guy Culligan of Bonner, told authorities he was attempting to seize another person's bank card that he was trying to use to obtain money.
Witnesses saw Culligan pour gasoline on the First Security Bank ATM at the intersection of East Broadway and Madison streets Thursday.
The windows of Culligan's van were blown out due to the explosion which court documents say helped police identify the van which was later located downtown.
When police found Culligan, they say his facial hair was clearly singed and they also discovered a cylindrical object on the floorboard.
Police later determined that object to be a pipe bomb filled with .22 caliber bullets.
He admitted to purchasing $1 worth of gasoline with the purpose of lighting the ATM on fire and that the pipe bomb had been built by someone else years earlier.
Culligan made his initial appearance Friday and his arraignment date has not been scheduled yet. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.
