Suspicious device in Blanco County ‘neutralized’

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – Blanco County residents who were forced to evacuate a small rural area  when a suspicious device was found Tuesday morning were being allowed back into their homes around 6 pm.  The Department of Public Safety reported that a bomb squad had “neutralized” the device.

The FBI, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, DPS and the Blanco County  Sheriff’s Office responded when the device was found around 9 a.m. Tuesday near a pipeline construction site on Chimney Valley Road.

“I was told it was a black object wrapped in tape,” said DPS Sgt. Deon Cockrell. “Law enforcement came out and cleared  the area to make sure everybody was out of harm’s way.”

As of 6:30 pm, it remained an active scene.  Cockrell told KTSA the investigation was winding down and residents were being allowed back into their homes.

He had not been told whether the suspicious device was a fake bomb or an active device.