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Police station shut down after man brings in four blasting caps


The Aumsville Police Department's headquarters was temporarily shut down Tuesday after a man brought in four blasting caps. The Salem Police Department's bomb squad was called in to remove them. (Photos courtesy Sgt. Damian Flowers, Aumsville Police Dept.){p}{/p}
The Aumsville Police Department's headquarters was temporarily shut down Tuesday after a man brought in four blasting caps. The Salem Police Department's bomb squad was called in to remove them. (Photos courtesy Sgt. Damian Flowers, Aumsville Police Dept.)

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An officer in Aumsville, near Salem, said he temporarily shut down police headquarters Tuesday morning after a man brought in four blasting caps.

Blasting caps are small explosive devices generally used to set off larger explosives.

"I was a little bit nervous 'cause I know the potential that they could explode," Aumsville Police Sgt. Damian Flowers told KATU on Thursday.

He said he was alone at the station on Tuesday because the chief was at a conference and another employee was in training.

While he was sitting at his desk, he said a man came in.

"He came to the window and he just sat down this big bundle of wires on the counter here and kind of yelled back at me and says, 'Yeah, I just want to turn these in," Flowers explained.

He said he realized right away they were blasting caps, which can be deadly.

"They have the potential if one or two were to go off, I mean it would do some damage to the office area is what I've been told," he said. "Standing close enough, It could seriously injure or kill."

Flowers said he immediately called the Salem Police Department's bomb squad, set the caps away from the windows and locked the station.

He told a KATU reporter he took some basic information from the man and asked him to step outside.

"Being transported, dropped, kicked, anything like that there's a potential for them to explode," Flowers said.

The Salem bomb squad took the caps away and no one was hurt.

Flowers would not identify the man, who later told him he'd found the caps while on a riding lawnmower in his yard.

"One was in his path where he was gonna mow," Flowers said. "A couple of 'em were on the other side of his fence on the street side and then one was actually hanging on the fence. He believed that somebody possibly just threw 'em out the window of a car 'cause it was right next to the street. Luckily he didn't hit it with his lawnmower."

The case was also referred to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Jason Chudy, an ATF spokesman, told KATU they're not pursuing the case any further, that the blasting caps appear old and are not traceable.

Meanwhile, Sgt. Flowers said if you find a dangerous object or something that could potentially explode don't touch it. Call 911 and let the professionals come out and deal with it.

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