Bomb Scare Ends With No Boom
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Wrapped in tape with wires visible, this football-sized object was brought to the Water Valley Police Department, triggering a perimeter around the station. The Tupelo bomb squad dismantled the device.
WATER VALLEY – A football-sized device that resembled a bomb prompted road closures around the Water Valley Police Department on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 2. The Tupelo Police Department bomb squad examined and dismantled the device and found no live explosives, Police Chief Jason Mangrum said.
Mangrum emphasized that the person who brought the device to the station is not a suspect. The man had purchased the contents of a mini-storage unit at auction for non-payment and discovered the object while cleaning out the unit. “At first he thought it was a wad of painter’s tape and moved it around several times,” Mangrum said. “Upon closer look he realized it had a timing device and wires attached, so he loaded it up and brought it to the police department.”
Officers photographed the device and consulted with Tupelo, which advised that it needed to be checked. The bomb squad arrived at 8:08 p.m., used a portable X-ray to assess the contents and then dismantled it. “The bomb squad determined it did not have live explosives,” Mangrum told the Herald. “They could tell the wiring circuit wasn’t complete, and they were able to dismantle it.”
Police cordoned off portions of Greer Drive, Wise Street and Community Park Drive, establishing a perimeter that stopped short of the Highway 7 intersection and included nearby homes. The all clear was given at 9:13 p.m.
Mangrum said the storage unit was on South Main Street, located behind Cinnamed. The investigation continued Monday and Tuesday as officers worked to identify the renter of the unit. “Obviously we are interested in who made it and why it was made,” Mangrum said. He added there were no other suspicious items in the unit, which contained mostly household goods.
