What was supposed to be another routine day of sorting clothes and knickknacks at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in West Bend turned surreal on Tuesday, when employees spotted what looked like a military-style distraction device in a pile of donated goods. Staff quickly reported the suspicious object to police and shut down the shop while officers checked it out, leaving volunteers and shoppers at the busy North River Road location rattled.
Officials respond
According to FOX6 News Milwaukee, West Bend officers were called to the store around 1:30 p.m. after employees suspected the item could be a grenade. Police worked with staff to close the business while the object was evaluated. The Milwaukee County Bomb Squad examined the device and determined it to be a "flash bang" diversion device. West Bend police say they are investigating how the device ended up among donated goods.
What a flash-bang does
Flash-bangs, also called diversionary or concussion devices, are built to produce an intense flash of light and a loud report to disorient people nearby. They are intended to be non-lethal, but they can still cause burns, hearing loss, or shrapnel injuries at close range, according to reporting on their risks and history. Experts have raised concerns about accidental harm when these devices are mishandled or found outside controlled deployments. ProPublica notes that flash-bangs have been linked to injuries and that proper training and handling are critical.
Donations and store safety
St. Vincent de Paul of Washington County, which runs the West Bend thrift at 420 N. River Road, handles thousands of donated items and posts guidance on donation hours and hazardous waste on its site. The store’s operations team and volunteers sort donations daily, and thrift operators warn that potentially dangerous or military-style items sometimes turn up when households are cleared out. St. Vincent de Paul of Washington County outlines donation policies and contact information for the West Bend location.
Police advice
Police urged the public not to touch suspicious devices and to call the West Bend Police Department if they have information. According to FOX6 News Milwaukee, the department said, "Law enforcement agencies receive similar calls each year, often when families are cleaning out homes or belongings of deceased military veterans." Anyone with tips was asked to contact the West Bend Police at 262-335-5000.
