The bomb squad planned to detonate the grenade at a safe distance from nearby houses.
FIRST REPORT
A man cleaning out a relative’s house found a grenade this afternoon in the 3800 block of state Route 49.
Capt. Randy Linkous of the Darke County Sheriff’s Office confirmed deputies were called to the scene, and that the house has been evacuated.
Linkous said they are unsure the grenade is live, but that they are taking precautions and are reaching out to a bomb squad unit through Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
A neighbor, Fred Higgins, said the homeowner is in a nursing home and that his nephew has been clearing out the home. The nephew told him he found a grenade and that he called the sheriff’s office, Higgins said.
“He said that the pin was still in the grenade,” Higgins said. “He described it as (looking) similar to a pineapple,” which Higgins said could mean it’s an incendiary device dating back to World War II or the Korean War.