A device made to look like a pipe bomb was ruled to be a hoax Wednesday in downtown Durango.
The device was found at 10:13 a.m. in an alley on the east side of the 1000 block of Main Avenue behind Carver Brewing Co.
Law enforcement suspected a hoax from the beginning, but they closed an entire city block and called the Farmington Police Bomb Squad as a precaution, said city spokesman Tom Sluis.
Martin Olsen, commander of the bomb squad, said the team X-rayed the device and found wiring inside but no explosive materials.
“It looked like a metal tube with some plastic end caps,” he said.
The device was collected to be dismantled and further investigated in Farmington.
A perimeter was set up around the block, which included the east side of Main Avenue to East Second Avenue between 10th and 11th streets.
The back seating area of Carver Brewing Co., which is under construction, was evacuated as a precaution, but for the most part businesses were able to operate as usual, said Deputy Police Chief Brice Current.
The device was found near a power box in the alley and was clearly made to look like a bomb, Current said.
“It looks suspicious, for sure,” he said. “Any expert or trained person or probably layperson would definitely think it looks suspicious,” he said.
shane@durangoherald.com
