CLEARLAKE – An altered hand grenade was discovered in a vacant Olympic Village apartment Wednesday.
Napa County Bomb Squad responded with mutual assistance and safely detonated the device around 8 p.m.
According to Willie Sapeta with the Lake County Office of Emergency Services (OES), response by the Napa County team was rendered without charge to the county.
Clearlake Police Department was requested at the apartment complex on Olympic Drive around 1:43 p.m. after the device was discovered by cleaning personnel.
“The residents had moved out approximately one week prior and during the clean-up of the apartment by staff members, the grenade was found,” Clearlake Police Lt. Mike Hermann reported. “Upon officer arrival and inspection of the device, it was found to be altered and appeared to have some type of igniter switch attached to the bottom.”
As a precaution the apartments immediately surrounding the area were evacuated and the Napa County Bomb Squad was called in to assist. Upon bomb squad arrival and inspection it was determined that the safest way to deal with the grenade was to detonate it, Lt. Hermann reported.
Olympic Drive was closed to all traffic during the denotation procedure. The rear area of the Rite Aid parking lot, which is adjacent to the apartment complex, was also made inaccessible.
“With the assistance of the Lake County Office of Emergency Services, Lake County Fire, Clearlake Public Works as well as numerous Clearlake Police officers and volunteers, the location was cleared and secured,” Lt. Hermann reported. “The device was removed from the apartment by the bomb squad robot and placed into a secured makeshift bunker on the property, where at approximately 8 p.m., it was detonated.”
According to Lt. Hermann, inspection of the debris from the device determined that the grenade had been re-filled with gun powder.
The resident responsible for the grenade has been identified and an investigation is being conducted for the illegal possession of the device.
“The Clearlake Police Department was thankful for the assistance provided by Lake County Fire, OES, the Napa County Bomb Squad, Public Works and our volunteers who readily made themselves available to assist,” Lt. Hermann said.
“We would also like to thank the residents of Olympic Village Apartments as well as the management of Rite Aid for their cooperation and patience.”
Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Clearlake Police Department at 994-8251.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
