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An Albert Lea man was sentenced to three years and three months in prison on Thursday tied to a traffic stop last July that led to the evacuation of the Freeborn County courthouse. 

Adam Alan Penhollow in January was found guilty after a four-day trial of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle; fifth-degree drug possession; possession of an explosive or incendiary device; dangerous weapons-sell or possess a suppressor not lawfully possessed; DWI-refuse to submit to a chemical test as required by a search warrant; possessing ammunition or a firearm after a conviction of a drug offense. He pleaded guilty to driving after revocation before the trial. 

Court documents state an officer was alerted to Penhollow after observing a possible fight outside the Albert Lea Walmart pharmacy. A male left the group and got into a gray Kia Soreno registered to Penhollow’s spouse.  

The officer believed the male was Penhollow, who was driving with a revoked license, and after verifying this information with dispatchers, the officer attempted to pull over Penhollow on Sorenson Road south of Hammer Road. Before turning on his lights, the officer noted Penhollow reportedly did not properly signal his turn.  

Court documents state instead of pulling over, the vehicle accelerated, and the officer activated its siren. The vehicle reportedly accelerated before turning into Paradise Road. After the officer used the public address system in his car to address Penhollow by name, Penhollow reportedly stopped the vehicle and was arrested for driving after revocation and felony fleeing.  

In a search of the vehicle, officers seized a locked gun safe, thinking that there was a gun locked in there, but ultimately found a pipe bomb and over 9 grams of methamphetamine once it was brought back to the Law Enforcement Center. When authorities found out there was a pipe bomb inside, they evacuated the courthouse and the St. Paul Bomb Squad was called to remove the device from the building. The bomb squad examined it and concluded that it was a pipe bomb.   

After receiving a search warrant for Penhollow’s home, officers found other firearms, ammunition, a sound suppressor attached to a sub-legal length barrel, a CO2 container used as an explosive device, cartridge reloading equipment, another explosive device and a partial home-built Sten submachine gun.  

Penhollow received credit for 314 days already spent in the Freeborn County jail. He will serve the remainder of his term at the St. Cloud prison.