Suspicious pipe found near Highway 101 in Santa Rosa likely not explosive, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office says

Authorities shut down Highway 101 near downtown Santa Rosa on Monday morning while the sheriff’s bomb squad removed a wayward metal pipe that looked suspiciously like a bomb.

Cal Trans workers found the pipe against a sound wall on the West Third Street onramp. They got close enough to take a picture, which was sent to the CHP about 9:50 a.m. for evaluation, said Officer David deRutte.

The highway was closed in both directions by 10:33 a.m. and CHP called the Sonoma County sheriff’s bomb squad to blow up the device, deRutte said.

Deputies removed the object from the highway. An initial review of the pipe found that it was not explosive, sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum said.

“It doesn’t appear to be a bomb,” Crum said. “It’s a metal pipe that had no other reason for being on the freeway.”

Both directions of the highway were reopened before 11 a.m.

Staff Writer Randi Rossmann can be reached at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport. Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez can be reached at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nashellytweets.