Homemade bomb found by West Michigan roadside, brought to City Hall

NEWAYGO, Mich. (WILX) - Michigan State Police are among those investigating after an improvised explosive device (IED) was found by a Michigan roadside.

According to authorities, a Brooks Township citizen drove to the Newaygo Police Department with a strange object they found by the roadside Monday. They contacted a City Hall staff member, reporting that they had a suspicious item he believed to potentially be an explosive device.

A Newaygo police officer then went to the parking lot and observed the item in the vehicle. Police said the officer determined it to be a homemade explosive.

Read: 20-year-old arrested after Michigan State Police reportedly find gun without serial number during traffic stop

The officer called for assistance to Newaygo County Central Dispatch regarding the suspected bomb. The city closed down Newaygo City Hall and the Newaygo Library as a safety precaution because of the how close the vehicle, which contained the item, was to either building.

The Newaygo County Sheriff’s Department, Newaygo Fire Department and the Michigan State Police were called to assist. The Bomb Squad was requested and arrived on scene a short time later and took the device to a safe location, where it was detonated.

The Michigan State Police Bomb Squad told the Newaygo officer they agreed the device was a homemade explosive.

The remainder of the investigation was forwarded to the Michigan State Police and the Newaygo County Sheriff Department for follow up in the area where the item was found.

“Police officers remind citizens of our community that if you locate a suspicious item that you believe maybe dangerous, please leave the item alone and call 911 to the location,” Newaygo police wrote in a public statement. “As in this incident, if you later realized that you accidentally picked up a homemade explosive or suspicious item, please leave it where you identify the item as a threat and call police from that location.”

Next:

Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning.