October 16, 2013
3:40 PM
Abandoned Camp Site and a Small Amount of Explosives Discovered.
GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. – On the evening of October 14, 2013 about 7:40 PM a citizen hiking on the Jeff Weaver Trail (A walking trail heading north out of No Name to the flat tops) reported seeing what appeared to be a suspicious, possibly explosive device. He also noted an abandoned camp site not too far away. He reported that the tent smelled very bad as if something were rotting inside.
Garfield County Sheriff’s Deputies closed the trail to public access until an investigation could be made on the morning of October 16, 2013 with the advantage of daylight. A group of Deputies, including two people from the Grand Junction Bomb Squad and a representative from the US Forest Service assembled at 9:00 AM at the Sheriff’s Office and proceeded to the site.
By 12:20 PM the site had been cleared. The campsite proved to be nothing more than an abandoned tent with some ancillary items in and around the tent. A small amount of explosives were found near the campsite of the type typically used to clear stumps or dislodge unwanted rocks in trails or other pathways. It is unclear at this time if the explosives were related to the campsite or if its proximity was coincidental.
It is not clear at this time where the explosives originated, or how they found their way to this trail. Deputies are continuing their investigation and discussing the matter with other agencies and regular users of the trail in hopes of discovering how the explosives came to be near the trail.
More information will be released as it becomes available.
CONTACT:
Walt Stowe
PIO/Community Relations Deputy
Garfield County Sheriff’s Office
106 County Road 333-A
Rifle, CO 81650
Office: 970-665-0207
Cell: (970) 309-9697
Email: wstowe@garcosheriff.com
IMPORTANT: Please direct any media requests to the contact above. Do not contact the Garfield County Emergency Communications Center or Patrol staff for media requests.
