CCSO Bomb Squad dispached to Brooksville, FL over weekend due to WWII practice rocket found during property excavation
Photo of WWII practice rocket courtesy of CCSO.
On Friday, January 20, 2023, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office CCSO Bomb Team responded to Kindlewood Trail in Brooksville, Florida to assist the Hernando County Sheriff's Office with a military ordnance that was found when the homeowner was digging on his property using his excavator.
A military ordnance is a military term used to describe all types of ammunition, missiles, toxic chemicals, and nuclear weapons, devices that can remain intact for decades and explode without notice. These highly dangerous items should only be handled by a trained bomb technician.
The homeowner contacted law enforcement about the found military ordnance. While the CCSO bomb Squad was enroute to the location, team members notified the McDill U.S. Air Force Base Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit in Tampa, Florida, which deployed EOD Airmen to the location.
After the two teams arrived at the location, made several radiographs of the device and conducted research, they determined that the military ordnance was a World War II practice rocket. The rocket was deemed safe to move, and the McDill EOD Airmen safely removed the rocket and transported it back to Tampa.
While the CCSO Bomb Squad was heading home on the Suncoast Parkway, team members encountered a traffic accident that had just occurred and used their truck to shield the driver and vehicle from potentially being hit again by passing motorists, as the vehicle was disabled within the lane of traffic with no operable lights.