The SBI Bomb Disposal Unit responded to a Smithfield business Thursday morning after a suspicious metal container was located.
The Smithfield Fire Department, Smithfield Police, and Johnston County Emergency Management responded to OmniSource, a scrap metal recycling facility, on Wal-Pat Road after a 2 by 3 foot steel box was found in a pile of metal.
As a precautionary measure the State Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene. Technicians opened the box and using a camera discovered it contained training munitions but no live rounds. Among the items reportedly found in the box were a dummy landmine, cartridges and clips, items that would be used in a practice exercise or classroom training setting.
“There was nothing lethal and it wasn’t anything hazardous,” according to Paul Whitehurst, Assistant Director of Johnston County Emergency Services. The SBI did, however, collect the items for proper disposal.
Smithfield Police Chief Michael Scott said officers are trying to determine who may have disposed of the container and where the items originated. Chief Scott said there was no evidence the business was targeted in anyway, rather someone was simply disposing of the items as salvaged metal.
