Woman charged with setting off explosion inside Evanston Target

Bond was set at $250,000 Saturday for a Humboldt Park woman charged with setting off a minor explosion inside the bathroom of a Target store Wednesday afternoon in north suburban Evanston.

Heidi Schmidt, 44, faces felony counts of aggravated arson and unlawful possession of an explosive, according to Evanston police.

Emergency crews were called at 4:08 p.m. Wednesday to the store at 2209 Howard St. following the explosion involving a plastic bottle inside the women’s bathroom, police said. Damage was limited to one bathroom stall, and no one was hurt.

The store stayed open for business, according to police, who said there was “no indication that the incident is related to any policies that the Target store has in place.”

In addition to the bottle, investigators found items commonly used to produce a chemical high, which can become volatile when mixed, police said.

Judge Peggy Chiampas set bond at $250,000 at a Saturday hearing, according to Cook County Circuit Court records. Schmidt, of the 4000 block of West Crystal Street in Chicago, is due back in court Tuesday.