Monroe County Sheriffs find pipe bomb in debris

Police officers, investigating what they thought was a traffic accident, discovered a pipe bomb among debris near the scene outside of Bloomington’s west side, according to a press release from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The bomb, measuring about 6 inches in length, was discovered at the 6100 block of Leonard Springs Road near the intersection of State Road 45 at about 5:30 p.m. July 14.

Police did not release the information about the discovery of the pipe bomb until nearly 24 hours after discovering it.

It is not immediately clear why they chose to wait to release the information to the public.

The road was closed until Indiana State Police explosives personnel arrived at the scene and disposed of the device without incident.

Police said they do not believe the pipe bomb was related to the traffic accident they were investigating.

The Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying they were “actively investigating this incident and would encourage anyone with information to contact law enforcement immediately,” but could not be reached for further comment on the case.

If anyone has any information on the pipe bomb, call Chief Deputy Mike Pershing of the Monroe County Sheriff’s office at 812-349-2534.

— Zach Ammerman