Plastic Bottle at Montana School Mistaken for Explosive

Plastic Bottle at Montana School Mistaken for Explosive

A Montana elementary school was evacuated after officials found a plastic bottle wrapped in tape that was believed to be an explosive.

  • By Sherelle Black
  • October 16, 2019

On Tuesday, authorities at a Montana elementary school mistook a plastic bottle that was found covered in tape on the school’s grounds as an explosive.

FBI and ATF agents responded to Rossiter Elementary School in Helena where the discovered the plastic bottle wrapped in black tape full of washers, nuts and bolts, and a fluid that was not flammable, reported ABC News.

"This information is good news," Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. "It's a blessing that it wasn't [an explosive]."

The bottle, which is believed to have come from a construction site, was placed by the school Monday night or early Tuesday by a homeless man, according to Dutton.

Students were evacuated from the campus and nobody was injured.

"I am glad our team here, local, state and federal, reacted in such a way," Dutton said.

As a precaution, other schools in the district were placed on lockdown and later cleared when law enforcement found no threats.

About the Author

Sherelle Black is a Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

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