“Homemade explosive device” found, defused in vacant LaGrange parking lot

LAGRANGE, Ga. (WTVM) - A “homemade explosive device” has been found and defused in a vacant parking lot in LaGrange.

Police say that at approximately 9:15 a.m. Thursday, they received a call in reference to a suspicious item lying in a parking lot in the 500 block of Whitesville Rd. The person who reported the item was working to clean the lot when it was found.

Officers requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Bomb Disposal Unit to assist in the investigation.

An initial investigation found that the item was a “homemade” explosive device. It was defused and dismantled in place. It was not located near a home, vehicle or heavily traveled pedestrian route.

LaGrange police are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information on the device itself or any suspicious activity in the area is asked to contact LPD at 706-883-2690.

“Effective public safety depends on effective partnerships. The discovery of the explosive device this morning is an excellent example of a community partner seeing something suspicious, alerting the police and avoiding an incident that could have resulted in someone being seriously injured,” said LaGrange Police Chief Lou Dekmar. “If anyone sees anything suspicious, we are urging the community to please contact the police so we can ensure our community remains safe by working together.”

The LaGrange Police Department and the City of LaGrange say they both take suspicious issues very seriously and will always respond accordingly.

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