What started as an Internet Crimes Against Children search warrant turned into a bomb scare in southeast Houston on Thursday, after deputies reported spotting what looked like a homemade explosive device inside a home. The Houston Police Department Bomb Squad was called in, deputies took photos of the item, and the residence was secured while they waited for the specialists to move in. Investigators have not yet said whether anyone was hurt or taken into custody as the case plays out.
According to Click2Houston, Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said his investigators were serving an Internet Crimes Against Children warrant in the 500 block of Gilpin Street when they came across the suspicious device. The outlet reports that HPD's Bomb Squad was called to the scene to, in their words, "assess and safely investigate" the object. Rosen is expected to brief reporters once authorities are sure what they were actually dealing with inside the house.
Why the constable's office was there
The Precinct One Constable's Office operates an Internet Crimes Against Children unit and routinely leads digital exploitation investigations, information that is publicly available on the office's website. As outlined by the Precinct One Constable's Office, the agency also oversees several specialized units, including K-9 teams trained in bomb detection that assist with high-risk warrant operations. That setup helps explain why it was Rosen's deputies knocking on the door for Thursday's warrant service.
Bomb-squad response and local context
HPD's Bomb Squad is the unit that takes over whenever a suspected explosive turns up in Houston, working to isolate, examine and, if necessary, remove devices so residents and first responders stay out of harm's way. Similar calls have rattled nearby communities before. In May, FOX 26 reported that the bomb squad recovered a confirmed live explosive from a home in Spring, a reminder of why officials treat any suspicious device as the real deal until specialists say otherwise.
What happens next
Officials say more details will be released once bomb technicians finish examining the item and investigators have fully reviewed the evidence. Precinct One deputies and HPD officers remained at the southeast Houston scene during the initial stages of the response, and, according to Click2Houston, a press conference with Constable Rosen was expected after the on-site work wrapped up. Authorities have not yet said whether anyone connected to the case will face criminal charges.
