COLUMBIA TWP. – On Friday, May 10, Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott reported that Van Buren County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 50000 block of County Road 388 in Columbia Township at approximately 6:34 p.m. for a report of a found explosive. The homeowner at that location was doing yard work when they located a hand grenade partially buried in the yard. Sheriff Abbott said it is believed that the grenade had been there for multiple years. A deputy responded to investigate and although the grenade originally appeared to be a training grenade it had suspicious modifications to it. Deputies requested the assistance of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) bomb squad, who responded to the scene. After a thorough investigation they were able to determine that someone had modified the grenade and turned it into a live improvised explosive device. The device was taken to a safe location and destroyed by the bomb squad technicians.
Photo courtesy/Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office
