Woman arrested after police discover several Molotov cocktails in Ceres apartment
Ceres police officers and firefighters responding to a call asking for a security check at a residence Friday night discovered several so-called Molotov cocktails.
The call came about 7:40 p.m. The incendiary weapons were found in a unit of an apartment complex on the 3100 block of Whitmore Avenue, Ceres Police Department spokesman Sgt. Dirk Nieuwenhuis told The Bee on Sunday.
A fire crew “responded to assist Ceres police with an altered patient,” said the daily incident summary from the Modesto Fire Department, which covers Ceres. The name and condition of that person were not reported, and it’s not clear if that person is the woman arrested.
“Several Molotov cocktails were found in an individual’s residence,” the summary said. “... Units operated in the investigative mode and conducted atmospheric monitoring.”
Nieuwenhuis said a female suspect was arrested on charges including possession of destructive devices or explosives.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department’s in-custody log shows that Katrina Ann Hopper, 47, also was booked on charges including child endangerment and possession of explosives with intent to injure or intimidate. She remained in custody Sunday morning, with bail set at more than $2 million.
The online Britannica encyclopedia defines a Molotov cocktail as “a crude bomb, typically consisting of a bottle filled with a flammable liquid and a wick that is ignited before throwing. It is named for Vyacheslav Molotov, the foreign minister of the Soviet Union during and after World War II, though Molotov was not its inventor.”
The bomb’s name was mockingly bestowed by Finnish soldiers resisting the Soviet invasion of their country in 1939, Britannica said.
