The Wenatchee World (Washington), STATE AND REGIONAL NEWS
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
BYLINE: Dee Riggs, The Wenatchee World, Wash.

Wenatchee, WA

Aug. 26 -- EAST WENATCHEE -- An official at Eastmont Junior High School found a pipe bomb inside the backpack of a 14-year-old boy who was on the school grounds Wednesday night.

The bomb, which was described as a low-explosive device, was dismantled by police and placed in the evidence room at the East Wenatchee police station, said Dan Reierson, assistant police chief.

It was made out of PVC pipe and filled with gunpowder the boys had removed from .22-caliber cartridges, Reierson said.

The boy told officers he did not intend to set it off on the school grounds but rather "in a different location for fun," Reierson said, possibly in a vacant lot.

The boy was with two other boys, ages 14 and 15, on the grounds. All three were cited for being minors in possession of alcohol, Reierson said. The boy with the bomb in his backpack was referred to juvenile officials for having a prohibited explosive device and having a dangerous weapon on school property. All three were released to their parents.

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