Tennessee Highway Patrol, Grundy County authorities probe improvised explosive device found near Palmer, Tennessee

Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum
Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum

State troopers and Grundy County, Tennessee, authorities are continuing to investigate what is being described as an improvised explosive device, or IED, that was found last week on Daus Mountain Road just north of the town of Palmer.

photo Clint Shrum

Sheriff Clint Shrum said in an email that the suspected IED was found last Thursday by an inmate litter crew from the Grundy County Jail in Altamont.

It "just looked obvious" to the inmate that the item was an explosive, Shrum said. The sheriff said the device appeared to have been detonated.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Operations troopers responded to assist in the investigation and to dispose of the device, THP spokesman Lt. John Harmon said Monday. He had no further information. THP's special operations unit based in Nashville consists of six specialized sections, including an explosive ordinance section manned by certified bomb technicians.

The IED was found in a ditch on Daus Mountain Road near Tatesville Road, according to reports in the Grundy County Herald newspaper in Tracy City. There are several homes on large lots near the intersection of the two roads.

Authorities collected what was described as some of the casing surrounding the device, some shrapnel and a powder, the newspaper reported. Investigators hope that evidence will help identify the source of the materials or identify a suspect or suspects in the case.

There were no suspects so far, Shrum said Monday.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.

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