Murphy, North Carolina a concerned citizen reported seeing some old dynamite at a cleanup and demolition site of an old mechanic shop.
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office responded to the located site on Old Ranger road and reported an abandoned box of the explosives to the Asheville Police Department's Bomb Squad.
Harford County, Maryland Bomb disposal technicians were called to a Harford County landfill after a citizen reported seeing a person dump a wooden crate with military markings on it. There were also concerns about a suspect item, feared to be UXO.
The bomb technicians inspected two empty cardboard tubes used to store 105 mm rounds, but no rounds were found inside. The State Fire Marshal's Office was also called in to inspect the area. According to their report, "it was determined the items in question were cardboard tubes used to store 105 mm TPDS-T, an M724A1 cartridge used for gunnery training in tank mounted 105 mm gun cannons."
Spencer, Indiana Officers uncovered a mortar round while diving in the White River. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Law Enforcement Division divers were not expecting to find a munition during the evidence recovery dive. The divers called the Indiana State Police bomb squad to assist with the munition identified as a mortar round.
Jacksonville, Florida The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) Bomb Squad responded to a home in South Metro when a 19-year-old resident discovered a suspect munition while doing yard work. Six homes were evacuated while they investigated the property which once belonged to a retired JSO bomb technician who had previously been arrested on explosives charges.
The 19-year-old, niece of the retired tech, recently moved into the home and pulled up the mortar round while digging up bricks to make a border in the yard. Technicians determined the ordnance to be a practice round and removed it. They searched the home for additional explosives but did not find anything.
Torrance, California You've heard the expression, "No Dogs Allowed," but how about "No Ordnance Allowed"?
A section of the street and some businesses were evacuated and a bomb squad brought to the scene of a hunting/fishing store after a customer brought in a suspicious military ordnance.
Police were notified to handle the unidentified device which neither the customer nor store employees were able to deem live or inert. Bomb squad personnel determined that the ordnance did not pose an immediate threat and removed it offsite for further evaluation.
Middle Township, New Jersey The bomb squad responded and evacuated several buildings and homes after a resident walked in to the Middle Township Police Department in Cape May County with military ordnance.
The woman entered the station and reported that her son had found the munition while fishing. The device was removed from the building and the bomb squad was called in to respond.
The Atlantic City Police Department's Bomb Squad responded and identified the item as a WWII-era marine marker. Because it lacked an active fuzing mechanism, the bomb disposal technicians deemed it safe to transport for disposal.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a notice to police and bomb squad personnel across the U.S. to be on the lookout for an alcohol shot made to look like a flash bang grenade. The alcohol shot, housed in a container that resembles a hand held grenade equipped with a working pull pin and spoon, attracts young drinkers such as 21-year old college students.
An example of an alcohol shot taken off a USC student at a recent football game against Texas A&M is shown below. The item does not contain explosives or energetics but has the potential to result in bomb disposal calls due to its life-like resemblance of an actual munition.
Watervliet, New York A Civil-War era munition washed ashore on the bank of the Hudson River. The New York State Police Bomb Squad responded and safely transported the munition to a quarry 40-miles south of Glens Falls where it was safely disposed of through an open detonation procedures. The exact type of Civil-War era munition was not reported.
Dandridge, Tennessee A Jefferson County family had quite a surprise waiting for them when they moved into their new home. Among the former owner's possessions which were left behind was an unidentified ordnance item. After finding the nearly 1 foot long munition, specific type not reported, the new home owner reportedly placed it in a bucket, and took it outside.
The new home owner called the police and the Morristown Bomb Squad responded. They determined it was indeed military ordnance so they called EOD from Ft. Campbell to respond. The house is located across the street from Maury Middle School, but there were no evacuations.
Winlock, Washington Lewis County sheriff's deputies responded to a call from a homeowner who found old explosives while clearing out a barn. The homeowner told authorities that the explosives must have been there before he owned the property and estimated that the explosives have been in the part for several decades.
Deputies called the Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad, which determined that the explosives, identified as dynamite (shown below) were several extremely deteriorated and volatile. It was determined that the safest way to dispose of the explosives was to conduct a controlled burn of the barn. The barn, along with the explosives inside, was successfully destroyed in a controlled burn.
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