(WHAS11) - A Bullitt County Sheriff’s Deputy is charged with possession of a destructive device but authorities were first called out to his house for domestic violence.
Right now Deputy Bobby Hedges is in custody after his fellow deputies arrested him early Sunday morning.
He's charged with assaulting his live-in girlfriend but the Bullitt County sheriff says they found a pipe bomb in his house after his arrest.
In a video arraignment Monday morning, Hedges pleaded not guilty to domestic violence and charges of possessing a destructive device.
A judge ordered that he seek a mental health evaluation at the VA Hospital by mid-week.
Hedges also can't have contact with his girlfriend because she filed a protective order against him.
The victim told police that Hedges pulled her hair and kicked her in the stomach Saturday night.
He was arrested by Bullitt County authorities at their home, that's when the sheriff says they searched the house and found a pipe bomb inside. The Louisville Metro Bomb Squad was called out to disarm it.
The sheriff says Deputy Hedges has spent three years on the force with no history of any problems.
"Oh, I was shocked. We like Bobby. He's been a good deputy. So we're as surprised as anybody about his behavior," says Bullitt County Sheriff Donnie Tinnell.
Deputy Hedges will be back in court March 15th.
The pipe bomb in the house was disarmed but some neighbors still reported hearing a "boom" -- so what happened with the pipe bomb?
"They have a robot go off and it sets off charges to go off, deactivate, go off in a safe way. So there was some charges that went off inside the home...that's what neighbors were hearing," says Sheriff Tinnell.
