MONTICELLO, Iowa — The Monticello Police Department and Jones County Sheriff's Department responded to a 911 call from a woman claiming her husband was threatening to blow up their home at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17.
When police arrived to the home on the 600 block of North Sycamore Street, they found the husband, 62-year-old David Costello, in the basement. While officers were attempting to talk to him, the man ignited an explosion, according to a news release from Monticello Police Chief Britt Smith.
Both Costello and a Jones County deputy were transported to a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. Costello was being held as of Wednesday night on a court-ordered committal, or a forced hospitalization due to mental impairment.
The Monticello Fire Department extinguished the fire in the basement caused by the explosion. Nearby houses, according to the release, were evacuated as a precaution as the Cedar Rapids Hazardous Devices Unit was at the scene securing Costello's home.
The State Fire Marshall's Office was conducting an investigation into the explosion as of Wednesday.
