TOWNSEND — A Broadwater County resident purchased the contents of a storage unit filled with World War II memorabilia — and found something far more dangerous than expected.
The resident discovered a live grenade inside the unit and brought it to the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office on Saturday evening around 7 p.m.
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"It had a grenade in it with a toothpick where the pin goes," Sheriff Mark Wood said.
Officers blocked off the back parking lot and called both Lewis and Clark County and Malmstrom Air Force explosive ordnance disposal units to assist.
After responding, EOD crews determined the grenade was authentic. The entire incident took several hours as crews worked through the night to assess the situation.
The grenade was then transported via Malmstrom's EOD vehicle to the Broadwater County Transfer Station, where it was safely disposed of.
"I've never heard of it happening, and yeah it definitely took us by surprise that they had a live grenade in a storage unit here," Wood said.
Sgt. Neil Marks of the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office said responders treat every potential explosive as a real threat.
"Ultimately you never really know, so we have to act as if every explosive device or potential explosive is real," Marks said.
Officials are urging anyone who finds a suspected explosive to leave it alone and contact authorities immediately.
"Explosives are dangerous for a reason. I would urge somebody if they come across something that they think might be explosives or military ordinance to try and not touch it, contact authorities, and let somebody who has some training try and address it," Marks said.
