Police, FBI investigating after explosive device found in Marissa trailer park
Marissa Police, a state bomb squad and the FBI are investigating after a police officer found an explosive device in a Marissa trailer park early Saturday.
Authorities closed roads and evacuated some trailers at the South Marissa Trailer Park as a bomb squad neutralized the device, Marissa Police Chief Brian Sheridan said in an interview just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Sheridan said no one was injured and the area was back open.
An officer initially responded to a report of a suspicious subject in the 100 block of Hotz Street. Sheridan said the call came in at 2:50 a.m.
“The officer found out there was some type of altercation,” Sheridan said. “... He located a device that appeared to be possibly an explosive device.”
Local authorities called in a bomb squad from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. Scott Air Force Base’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, as well as law enforcement from St. Clair County and New Athens, came to the scene to assist, according to Sheridan.
The police chief said the device had some components that had the potential to cause damage but “the way it was lit did not actually cause it to detonate.” He declined to provide further details about the device because it remains under investigation.
Sheridan said authorities believe the altercation was related to the device. No one had been arrested or charged as of Saturday morning.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Marissa Police Department at 618-295-3622 or to submit an anonymous tip through village’s website.
