The Early Police Department received a call on Saturday, May 30th of a possible explosive device that a man found while cleaning a lot on Coggin Avenue in Brownwood, according to EPD Chief David Mercer.

The man found the device and put it in his pickup and took it to his home in Early, Mercer said.

“After he got to looking at it he decided to call the police because the device looked like a land mine,” reported Mercer.  “EPD contacted the Abilene bomb squad and sent pictures to them, which time they confirmed the item appeared to be a land mine.”

Abilene Police Department bomb squad came to Early and used a robot to retrieve the explosive device, which was taken to a remote location in the county and detonated, according to Mercer. Bomb technicians stated that the safety was still intact and the mine could still have been armed, Mercer said.

The Early Police Department reminds the public that items similar to this can still be found around the area and while they may be old, they could still explode.

“Anyone finding any suspicious devices should call local law enforcement and let them determine if it is safe,” Mercer stated.

Pictured is the robot at the scene to retrieve the explosive device.