The Fourth of July aside, it’s been a potentially explosive month in Cleburne.
Only a few weeks after a man found dynamite in his garage and mere days after a woman found a small explosive device in a warehouse, another woman ran across a grenade while cleaning out her garage.
She took it to the police department to see if it was legal to keep. An officer determined that the grenade appeared to be live, so the officer took it out to the parking lot.
Firefighters who arrived secured the grenade’s handle with packing tape before removing it from the officer’s hand. Once taped, firefighters placed the grenade in a yard adjacent to CPD’s parking lot and away from all bystanders.
Police closed the parking lot area for 1 1/2 to two hours, Sgt. Amy Knoll said.
“We did not have to close the building, and it had no affect on the station or operations,” Knoll said.
Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived on scene to remove the grenade and take it away for disposal.
On June 20, Cleburne and Fort Worth firefighters responded to a home on Colonial Drive after the homeowner found dynamite while cleaning out his garage.
The dynamite was thought to be left over from explosives used to blast through rock to install a septic tank when the house was built in 1962, Cleburne Fire Chief Clint Ishmael said.
A FWFD bomb robot removed the dynamite from the garage without incident so that firefighters could dispose of it.
A woman sorting through items purchased at a mini warehouse auction on July 2 uncovered a small explosive device, which firefighters described as about the size of a can of Vienna sausages.
Cleburne and the FWFD bomb squad once again responded and determined the device to be an anti-tank mine actuator. Bomb squad destroyed the device.
“The important thing is, if you find anything like this, just to leave it in place,” Knoll said. “Don’t try to move it or take it anywhere. This stuff can be very unstable and dangerous, particularly with age. The safest thing is to get away, call 911 and we’ll get the fire department out to where you are so that they can figure out what needs to be done.”
Police seek owners
of stolen items
Cleburne police are asking residents in the area south of West Henderson Street and west of South Main Street to inventory their garages. They might just find some of their items have gone missing.
The request especially applies to any residents who may have left their garage doors open any night between July 5 and Friday.
Police arrested three teenagers Friday on charges of burglary of a habitation. Police also seized several items stolen from open garages in the area south of West Henderson and west of South Main but have not been able to identify the specific residences from which the items were stolen.
Residents who find items missing from their garage should call Cleburne police at 817-645-0978.
Theft and burglary calls
Police responded to Applebee’s in the 200 block of West Katherine P. Raines Drive at 12:46 p.m. Friday. Someone smashed the side window of a vehicle and stole a laptop and a cell phone.
A similar crime occurred in the 200 block of West Katherine P. Raines Drive on Sunday. Someone smashed the window of a vehicle and made off with a car DVD player.
Police responded to the 1600 block of West Henderson Street at 12:25 a.m. Monday on a third call involving vehicle burglary. Someone broke into a man’s vehicle and stole the stereo system, two 12-inch speakers and a GO Phoenix 600-watt amplifier.
Police responded to Bethel Temple Church in the 600 block of South Colonial Drive at 4 a.m. Tuesday on a burglar-alarm-sounded call. Someone broke a window of the church, but no property has so far been identified as missing, Knoll said.
Police responded to another burglary call at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday on Meadowbrook Street. Someone attempted to break into a business but was unsuccessful, Knoll said. They did break into a storage building on the property but apparently didn’t take anything, Knoll said.
Robbery suspect still at large
Police are still seeking information on a man who robbed the Dollar General Store on North Main Street on Sunday.
The man entered the store, demanded money from the assistant manager and displayed a gun to the manager. The suspect then fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.
Police describe the suspect as a dark-complected white male, 40 to 60 years old. He stands 5-foot-10 to 6-foot tall, has a goatee and sideburns and a medium, stocky build.
The suspect wore glasses, blue jeans, boots and a skull cap with a yellow necktie or belt tied around it. He also wore a watch on his left wrist and was carrying a zipper bag.
Anyone with information on the robbery should call police.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Cleburne firefighters secured a grenade brought to the Cleburne Police Department with packing tape before ATF agents arrived to dispose of it. Courtesy photo
Discussion
Grenade isn’t made to keep as souvenir for Cleburne woman
- Cleburne
-
Madison Dingman, 6, a first-grade student at Norwood Elementary School in Burleson, received a surprise Tuesday when her father, U.S. Army Spc. Aaron Dingman, visited her class after arriving on a flight home on a three-week leave. Dingman, who is based at Fort Drum, N.Y., just concluded a 10-month tour in Iraq. “I felt real good and real surprised,” Madison Dingman said of seeing her father for the first time in a year. “I can read him some books.” Aaron Dingman said that Madison still had all of her baby teeth the last time he saw her. “I was kind of nervous about her reaction,” he said. “She’s grown up.”
- A very welcome surprise
-
Government employment unchanged
According to government employment data in a U.S. Census Bureau report released last week, the nation’s 89,526 state and local governments employed 16.6 million full-time equivalent employees in 2009, statistically unchanged from 2008. Part-time employees numbered 4.7 million, the same as 2008.
-
One swept away, still missing near low-water bridge
Cleburne residents can thank their lucky stars for flood control work performed by the city of Cleburne in the mid 1980s.
-
Rescue workers pull body from water
Alvarado and Cleburne firefighters pulled the body of a man from moving water near County Road 607 caused by rain about 1 p.m. Wednesday. The man attempted to cross a high-water crossing in his truck and became stuck, Cleburne Fire Chief Clint Ishmael said. According to reports, rescue workers saw the man in the water earlier Wednesday morning but were unable to reach him. The identity of the man has not been released.
-
Former Cleburne grad Gee takes no-hitter into sixth for Mets
WASHINGTON -- Gee, that looked pretty good.
- Johnson County
-
-
Ex-policeman: City violated whistleblower act
A lawsuit brought against the city of Burleson by a former Burleson police sergeant asserts that the city violated the Texas Whistleblower Act when it fired him.
- A very welcome surprise
- Tale of two Buddys provides no breakthrough in mystery
- JP gets to work day after Labor Day
- Government employment unchanged
-
Ex-policeman: City violated whistleblower act
- Alvarado
-
-
One swept away, still missing near low-water bridge
Cleburne residents can thank their lucky stars for flood control work performed by the city of Cleburne in the mid 1980s.
- Rescue workers pull body from water
- Police arrest suspected cemetery vandals
- Police officer benefit concert today
- Friday night sights
-
One swept away, still missing near low-water bridge
- Burleson
-
-
Ex-policeman: City violated whistleblower act
A lawsuit brought against the city of Burleson by a former Burleson police sergeant asserts that the city violated the Texas Whistleblower Act when it fired him.
- Burglars hit Joshua, Venus and Alvarado
- Officer files suit against city
- Friday night sights
- Crash claims life of Burleson drag racer
-
Ex-policeman: City violated whistleblower act
- Godley
-
Riggin Cleveland, front right of the edge of the banner, and Garrett Murdick, back left edge, with their teammates at the 2008 Walk To Defeat ALS and their inspiration for walking, Riggin’s grandmother, Barbara Turner, standing with a walking aid.
-
Godley boys not leaving the side of those in ALS fight
Two teenage boys from Godley soon may be visiting a grocery store near you. They won’t necessarily be looking for groceries, but, rather, sponsors to help them participate in a fund drive to raise money for the ALS Association of North Texas.
- Friday night sights
- Believe and see
- Godley man arrested on suspicion of assault
- Explosion reported at munitions plant between Godley and Cresson
-
Godley boys not leaving the side of those in ALS fight
- Grandview
-
-
One swept away, still missing near low-water bridge
Cleburne residents can thank their lucky stars for flood control work performed by the city of Cleburne in the mid 1980s.
- Grandview officer, family grateful for community
- Police officer benefit concert today
- Friday night sights
- Stage set for benefit honoring officer
-
One swept away, still missing near low-water bridge
- Joshua
-
-
Friday night sights
Football was in the air this weekend as Johnson County teams hit the field for the first time in 2010.
- Duty earns Joshua student prestigious ROTC award
- Man found dead hit by car; driver interviewed
- Partners in fighting crime
- Joshua man scuffles with police
-
Friday night sights
- Keene
-
-
Friday night sights
Football was in the air this weekend as Johnson County teams hit the field for the first time in 2010.
- Assistance program on table
- Former Keene teacher pleads not guilty
- Garage sale a booster to prison Bible studies
- Keene teacher indicted
-
Friday night sights
- Rio Vista
-
-
One swept away, still missing near low-water bridge
Cleburne residents can thank their lucky stars for flood control work performed by the city of Cleburne in the mid 1980s.
- Friday night sights
- Three hospitalized in Rio Vista wreck
- Fort Worth man killed in Rio Vista wreck
- Hobbs looking to rebuild Eagle football from the ground up
-
One swept away, still missing near low-water bridge
- Venus
-
Rusty Redden, a former offender, leads the men and their family members in bible study during a No Turning Back support group meeting Tuesday at Venus United Methodist Church.
-
No turning back
Jimmy Humphus had an idea. He had already ministered to prisoners for three years at the Sanders Estes unit, a small minimum security prison in Venus.
-
No turning back
