Niagara Gazette — TOWN OF TONAWANDA — The Erie County Bomb Squad reported to a Military Road business Tuesday morning after employees found what appeared to be a grenade and notified town police.
The weapon, which was eventually determined to be a fake, was located in employee Paul Kaiser's work station at Anderson Equipment Company.
Kaiser's co-workers had reason to be concerned.
Kaiser, 26, of Bullis Road, East Aurora, was arrested Monday in the Village of LeRoy, according to authorities. During a search of the vehicle, a homemade explosive device, very similar to a hand grenade, was found.
"The employees were worried it was another live grenade," Town of Tonawanda Lt. Nick Bado said.
The call came in at about 8:36 a.m. from the company, located at 2140 Military Road.
Police worked to evacuate the building and neighboring area. When the bomb squad arrived, they immediately determined it was a fake.
"It was inert," Bado said. "They said it was like one you could buy at an Army surplus store."
Kaiser will not be charged for any violations in the town, but faces multiple charges in the Village of LeRoy.
He was pulled over for traffic violations in LeRoy, a village outside of Rochester, Monday at 6:45 a.m. on Lake Street.
According to LeRoy authorities, the officer detected a smell of marijuana after the stop. After locating the explosive during a search, the street was closed for two hours and approximately eight homes were evacuated.
The New York State Bomb Squad reported to the scene and determined the device was live and dangerous. They removed it to a safe location.
Kaiser was charged with first-degree criminal possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of marijuana, speeding, driving with a suspended license and inspection violations.
The Erie County Sheriff's Department executed a search warrant at Kaiser's East Aurora home to determine if the home contained any more explosives.The department is not releasing any information on the search.
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