ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 8, 1997 TAG: 9702100045
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: DUBLIN
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE
Members of a military reserve unit were called in to handle a live - or perhaps just a pretend - grenade on Feb. 1 near Dublin.
Thomas Boxall called police when he found the grenade in a cabinet, according to Pulaski County sheriff's Deputy Jerry Taylor. Boxall was moving into the home off Virginia 100 when he found the explosive device.
Boxall brought it outside and showed it to a neighbor before the police arrived.
Taylor said the body of the grenade was green, indicating it was a real weapon. But the handle was blue, the usual color of fake ones used for practice.
He called in a retired Army friend who recommended the grenade be treated as live. So, personnel from Fort Belvoir took it off the Sheriff's Office's hands.
Taylor said several families have lived in the house in a quick succession, so it's nearly impossible to track who owned the illegal device.
When asked what the punishment might be for possession of a grenade, Taylor said, "I really don't know, this is a first for me."
LENGTH: Short : 31 linesby CNB