(The following article by Peter Harriman was posted on the Sioux Falls Argus Leader website on November 15.)
ELK POINT, S.D. — A device resembling a pipe bomb but containing only a small amount of what appeared to be gunpowder was discovered along the railroad tracks near Twin Street about 9 a.m. Monday.
“An adult taking a break from his job was walking home and saw it lying there next to the tracks and thought it looked suspicious,” said Elk Point Police Chief Ryan Fleek. “He came in to report it as a suspicious looking object, at which point I went out to identify it, and it did appear to be an explosive device.”
Fleek contacted the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Dan Limoges notified Sioux Falls Police. The device was left in place and several houses and businesses were evacuated as a precaution until about 1:30 p.m. when a Sioux Falls bomb squad “rendered it safe,” said Limoges.
“There was a minor amount of powder in it, but nothing that would do any damage at all,” the sheriff said. Law enforcement officials do not know if the device was constructed as a flash-bang or whether it was made by someone who overestimated its destructive capability.
“We have the device in evidence. We’re asking for anybody with any information to contact the Elk Point Police or the Sheriff’s Office,” Limoges said. “Whether we get to who is responsible for this or not, I’m not sure. But we are seeking out that individual.”