News

A potentially explosive situation, defused

Posted June 24, 2011 12:00 am

By Larissa Chinwah

lchinwah@dailyherald.com

McHenry County Board member Randy Donley found a one foot-long aluminum pipe with a hole in one end and a cap on the other sitting in his driveway late Tuesday afternoon.

After inspecting the pipe, Donley was about to throw it in the Dumpster when a neighbor suggested the instrument could be a crude explosive device or a pipe bomb.

Donley was about to leave his house for the McHenry County Board meeting on Tuesday night and figured he would take it to the sheriff's department to see if they could determine what it was exactly.

Probably not the best move on Donley's part. Sheriff's officers cordoned off Donley's truck in the east parking lot of the McHenry County Government Center on Seminary Avenue. Sheriff's squad cars blocked the parking lot entrance and an explosives team was called in to make sure.

After a couple of hours, the department determined the pipe Donley had found was a military flare.

Sheriff's officers gave Donley some advice should he run into a similar situation in the future: don't bring it to us. Call us and we'll come to you.

Get tested: The McHenry County Department of Health is offering free, confidential or anonymous rapid HIV tests for at-risk individuals as part of the National HIV Testing Day. The test takes about 30 minutes and consists of a small finger-stick blood sample. Individuals are also provided with educational materials and assessed for risk factors. This month marks the 30th anniversary since the first AIDS case was reported in the United States. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, as of Dec. 31, 2010, there are 124 people living in McHenry County living with HIV; 74 of whom have advanced AIDS.For more information, visit http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics or make an appointment at the McHenry County Department of Health by calling (815) 334-4500. #376; Larissa Chinwah covers school districts 300, 158, 26, 47, 155, 3 and McHenry County government. Contact her at (847) 931-5722 or lchinwah@dailyherald.com

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