Bomb found in vacant Athens County home

On Thursday, deputies executed a search warrant on the home with the Franklin County bomb squad and the state fire marshal’s office.

During a search, a device that appeared to be a bomb was found. The device was later determined to be a homemade pipe bomb.

The sheriff’s office said there was no threat to the community and an investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Athens County sheriff’s office at 740-593-6633. unexpected lesson in police response.

The event, whose tractors and rides and flashing lights are visible from Interstate 70, happened to require about a dozen police and sheriff’s office vehicles Wednesday morning for traffic control and other duties.

At about 7 a.m., “Someone apparently stole a box of pens from a vendor,” Madison County Sheriff Jim Sabin told Dispatch Reporter Dean Narciso.

One cruiser, then another, and another, were dispatched, initially building on a false report of a stolen vehicle. A small army of police, lights flashing, was visible from the freeway.

Lt. John Swaney, of the Madison County sheriff’s office, said: “I’m sure he might have thought, ‘I just got a big box of something and I hit the mother lode.’”

But State Highway Patrol and sheriff’s office cruisers followed him around the grounds. He eventually drove west along Route 40, where he was stopped and taken to the county jail.

Asked if the man might have been scared by the response, Sabin said: “I certainly hope so.”

“I don’t think he’ll steal pens in the county anymore,” said Swaney.