A Westlake woman stumbled upon some potentially dangerous World War II relics, as reported by FOX8. The discovery was made while she was decluttering her closet following her husband's death. Items considered grenades sparked concern, prompting a call to local authorities.
At around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, the Westlake Police Department was alerted to the "suspicious condition" in the Courtyard condominium complex on Detroit Road, WKYC details. In response, the Westshore Enforcement Bureau Bomb Unit was called in and confirmed the presence of an old Japanese mortar and grenade.
The police shared audio of the woman's call, in which she referenced the items as her late husband's souvenirs and expressed her fear upon their discovery. WKYC reportedly said she was "scared out of my mind." A Westlake sergeant with the bomb squad identified the artillery as a Japanese Type 89 Knee Mortar and a Type 97 Hand Grenade, both set for destruction.
As noted in Cleveland19's report, neither the relics' extended stay in residence nor their eventual retrieval by the bomb squad caused harm to the community. The items were safely removed and transported to the unit's storage bunker. No further information has been released regarding the incident at this time.
