The Chisago County Sheriff's Office dialed the St. Paul bomb squad Wednesday afternoon for help defusing a small pipe bomb found on the side of a road in rural Rush City.
Authorities found the pipe bomb after they were notified of a suspicious item left on the side of the road on Evergreen Avenue between Rush Lake Road and Rush Point Drive. The deputy who was dispatched to the area found a pipe bomb with an intact fuse, according to the sheriff's office.
The area was closed off and authorities informed the Rush City school district, which re-rerouted several buses out of caution.
Sheriff's deputies contacted the St. Paul bomb squad, which responded to the scene and defused the bomb. Deputies collected evidence for further analysis, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Chisago County Sheriff's Office Capt. Derek Anklan said Thursday night that deputies were "baffled" by the incident, noting that the bomb was left in a spot that did not stand out. Even so, he said, the bomb was very much a threat.
"It was live," Anklan said. "if someone were to light the fuse, it would have went kaboom."
In a statement, the Sheriff's Office deemed the incident "an excellent example of seeing something and saying something." Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call investigators at 651-213-6355.
Ryan Faircloth • 612-673-4234
