The man, who works at Graymont Western U.S. Inc., an industrial lime manufacturer on the Tideflats, was arrested by Tacoma police at his East Side home, police spokesman Andrew Hankins said. He also was charged with resisting arrest, but circumstances relating to that charge weren’t available.

Police and fire officials were called to Graymont about 10:30 a.m. after an employee discovered the suspicious items in the man’s locker, Hankins said. It’s unclear what, if anything, the man planned to do with them.

Plant manager Paul Liner said employees moved the small bag of fertilizer and the lighter fluid to the parking lot before firefighters and police arrived. The man, who was not at work Tuesday, had not been having any major problems at work, Liner said.

“It’s one of those weird, out-of-theblue things,” he said. “We had no reason to suspect it was something malicious.”

Investigators were waiting Tuesday afternoon for a search warrant that would allow them to search the man’s home. The News Tribune is not naming him because he hasn’t been charged by prosecutors.

“We are in the early stages,” Hankins said.

Stacey Mulick and Ian Demsky, The News Tribune