by Georgia’s Cornelia. After finding a bomb and driving it to the police department, a woman clearing out a relative’s possessions on Wednesday caused downtown Cornelia to come to a complete stop.
Evidently oblivious to the risk, the woman drove the device and parked it at the Cornelia Police Department, which is housed inside City Hall. Police responded quickly to that, closing down adjacent streets and enclosing the area around City Hall out of extreme caution.
Chief Roberts tells Now Habersham, “We’re not tampering with the box, just waiting on the GBI,” even if we can only see one [device].Following the removal of the bomb threat, an elderly woman and man were observed departing the Cornelia Police Department. Source: NowHabersham.com/Daniel Purcell
The GBI Bomb Squad was dispatched by the Cornelia Police Department to inspect and securely remove the device. The area between Wyly Street and Foreacre Street was closed to the public by officers.
According to Roberts, the area has been sealed off, and no one will be allowed inside.
The bomb squad inspected both grenades and found that they were inert, meaning they were devoid of explosive powder, but they still had their fuses intact, requiring expert handling. Both devices were securely gathered by the GBI and disposed of elsewhere.
Around 7:30 p.m., Cornelia officers reopened all of the roadways that had been closed. A man and an elderly woman were observed being led by officers out of the city police department. Teams from EMS, fire, and rescue have departed the area.
By the time the woman dropped off the device, City Hall had already closed. The majority of the staff had already left for the day, Roberts said.
The Cornelia Police Department thanked the Habersham County Sheriff’s Department, the Baldwin Police Department, the GBI Bomb Squad, and all other responding agencies for their prompt and well-coordinated response in a press release released late Wednesday.
