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Sebring, FL - A suspicious device resembling a pipe bomb was discovered among a worker’s tools at Sebring Regional Airport Industrial Park in Florida, prompting an investigation and an arrest.
The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office reported the device, found around 2 p.m. on Nov. 13 at E Stone USA, a home improvement materials manufacturer, was identified as a “partially completed pipe bomb.”
According to officials, it consisted of a metal pipe with a sealed bottom and a threaded top capped with a removable nut, designed to function as an explosive weapon.
A bomb technician from the Division of the State Fire Marshal inspected the device and confirmed it did not contain explosives but had the characteristics of an improvised explosive device.
The pipe bomb was discovered in a tool cabinet assigned to a 37-year-old employee who was not on duty at the time.
The worker arrived for his scheduled 3 p.m. shift and was immediately detained. Investigators suspect company equipment, including a welder, was used to construct the device.
“Fellow employees said the device was nothing that could be associated with his job, and that [the worker] was not authorized to use the welder,” the sheriff’s office said.
The employee, a Sebring resident, was arrested and charged with manufacturing or possessing a hoax bomb, a second-degree felony.
Sebring is located about 85 miles south of Orlando.
Authorities continue to investigate the incident to determine the suspect's motives and whether additional charges are warranted.