Pipe Bomb Found In Coeur D’Alene Second Time In 3 Weeks Explosives Discovered
Police closed off an elementary school and nearby park Thursday after a bomb that had apparently failed to detonate was found in a gazebo.
People walking through Winton Park discovered the explosive device about 4:15 p.m.
The park sits next to Winton Elementary School on LaCrosse Avenue, where about 300 children had been let out an hour earlier.
Wrapped in gray duct tape, the device was fashioned out of cardboard and contained some kind of powder. It was cylindrical - about 4 inches long and 1-1/2 inches in diameter, said Lt. Don Jiran, Because of burn marks on the fuse and scuff marks on the exterior of the bomb, police believe it had been lighted and tossed, said Lt. Don Jiran.
It is the second time in three weeks that a bomb has been found in Coeur d’Alene, and one of many recent bomb blasts in the Inland Northwest.
Jiran described Thursday’s bomb as larger than the devices found April 30 in the trunk of a car parked at a downtown Coeur d’Alene gas station.
“I guess it’s the sign of the times with Spokane and Montana, and the one we had,” Sgt. Greg Smith said.
“It’s not small-town Coeur d’Alene any more,” said Cherie Butterfield, who had to come to Winton School to pick up her 11-year-old son because of the bomb.
Although class was out when the bomb was found, police had to evacuate several students who had been attending School Plus in the late afternoon.
The Coeur d’Alene Police Department called the Spokane bomb squad to handle the explosive.
They mounted a laser-sighted shotgun on a remote-control robot nicknamed Elvis. They planned to shoot the bomb as a means of safely detonating it.
A curious neighborhood cat began sniffing at the gun just as officers were about to fire, Jiran said.
After scaring off the cat, the robot fired the gun. A boom echoed through the neighborhood as dozens of onlookers watched from a safe distance.
The remnants of the bomb will be analyzed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
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MEMO: IDAHO HEADLINE: Pipe bomb discovered in park