Santa Rosa burglar takes tool containing radioactive material

Santa Rosa police Tuesday said a burglar may have gotten more than he expected when he stole a tool containing a small amount of radioactive material.

The public isn't in any danger, but the tool could pose a mild risk to a person handling it wrong, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Marcus Sprague said. The nuclear density gauge typically is used in construction, as well as in archaeology, mining and the petroleum industry to determine the density of soil and other compacted materials.

'If they take the entire thing apart they'll probably get a little sick,' Sprague said. 'There's nothing in it to weaponize or use to really hurt anybody else.'

The 90‑pound tool, worth about $6,500, was kept in the bed of a work truck, locked in a bright orange case and held in place with a padlocked cable. The truck was parked outside the Best Western Wine Country Inn and Suites on Hopper Avenue. The owner called police Sunday after discovering someone cut the cable and took the tool.

The burglar likely didn't know what the tool was but probably thought it was worth selling, Sprague said. No suspect has been identified.

Stolen nuclear gauges must be reported to the federal Radiation Safety Division, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707‑521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.