An object that looked like a pipe bomb and several other “suspicious looking items” were deemed to contain no explosives by an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and members of the Wichita Police Department bomb squad late Monday night.
The material was brought to the Great Bend Police Department Monday afternoon by two concerned sisters who were going through some of their step-brother’s stuff stored at their mother’s apartment at 2012 32nd. The items included a wrapped tube and some containers of liquids, Great Bend Police Chief Dean Akings said.
“You can never be too sure,” Akings said. The police e-mailed a photo of the device to ATF, and the agency agreed to come and assist.
The women brought the items to the GBPD in the back of a pick-up truck at about 4 p.m. Authorities quickly whisked them to a safe, secure location to await inspection.
By 7 p.m., the ATF agent had arrived and by 8 p.m., the bomb squad was in town. They examined and X-rayed the device, then water-blasted it open, Akings said. “There was no explosive materials in any of the items.”
Everything was then destroyed.
“Today, there are a lot of scares,” Akings said. It doesn’t hurt to be careful.
“They did the right thing,”Akings said of the women. “They are to be commended.”
However, “the normal procedure would be not have the people move the items,” the chief said. They should call the authorities first.
Akings said the ATF agent from Wichita and the WPD bomb squad are designated as “regional responders.” “This is what the are there for.”
In the mean time, Akings said there was no crime, no threats and no suspects.