Old military ordnance prompts Lakeport police evacuation

A Lakeport woman walked into the police station carrying an old anti-aircraft round, prompting officers to evacuate the station for at least six hours until the ordnance was detonated by a military crew, Lakeport police said Tuesday.

The woman, who wasn’t identified, didn’t know the item carried in her purse could be dangerous, Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said.

She arrived at about 9:10 a.m. Monday and took the round - about the size of a travel coffee mug - out of her handbag and placed it on the lobby counter. Officers immediately got everyone outside and prevented the public from entering the parking lot.

A crew from the Ninth Civil Engineers Unit at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville arrived at about 2:30 p.m. and took the shell to a remote area near the Lakeport wastewater treatment plant, where they blew it up.

It had been in the woman’s family for years, apparently belonging to a relative who served in World War I, Rasmussen said. He recommended people who find such items leave them where they are and contact local law enforcement officers. They shouldn’t be picked up or carried.