Calaveras County Pipe Bomb Rendered Useless

San Andreas, CA — A pipe bomb discovered by the CHP late Tuesday morning was rendered useless by the Calaveras County Sheriff Department´s Bomb Squad.

Special Operations Bureau Commander Clay Hawkins says the I.E.D. (improvised explosive device) was discovered on the roadside of Hwy 88 at the Carson Loop near the Kirkwood Ski Resort. It was described as a pipe bomb in a steel cylinder.

The Bomb Squad performed a diagnostic evaluation and then countercharged the the I.E.D. to render it useles.

Hawkins added that this is the third pipe bomb that has been discovered in the county this year on either a state highway or a county road.

Hawkins says his squad will perform a signature comparison on explosive devices, but generally they are handled remotely. It is difficult to render safe an explosive device and then capture useful evidence such as fingerprints or D.N.A.

Written by Bill Johnson