Authorities: Pipe bombs found at Jackson County home

JACKSON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) - An investigation is underway after multiple pipe bombs, including one working device, were recovered from a Jackson County home Wednesday. Authorities say it happened in the 15,000 block of Big Ridge Road, which is in the southwestern part of the county.

Witness Andrew Dauphin tells us what he saw. "Last night it was crazy. It was like, all the cops were here and everything," he said.

The man who lives in the home reportedly discovered the devices in a chest inside the house. He contacted authorities, telling them that the bombs were discovered inside a chest left behind by his former roommates that recently moved out.

Dauphin recalls what he says happened before police were called. "Our neighbor found it like. The guy had gotten evicted and stuff then he was helping the dude's girlfriend move. And then that fell out and that's when he called the cops," he said.

Biloxi Police Department's bomb squad and federal Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents were contacted. ATF agent Jason Denham, confirmed to WLOX that multiple devices were recovered. One of those devices was fully functional, said Denham, adding that the others could readily be assembled by adding wires. The devices are no longer a threat, he said.

"One was active, about to be detonated. The cops, they sat out here three hours trying to defuse it," Dauphin said.

One of the renters who reportedly brought the explosive devices into the home is in jail on a probation violation. The arrest was made before the discovery of the pipe bombs and is unrelated to this case, said authorities. No names have been released.

A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, tells WLOX, "I was astonished. I really was not expecting that because the neighborhood is really quiet. Maybe drugs because of the activity that was coming out of the house. However I was not expecting at all whatsoever for a bomb squad to show up in a neighborhood like this," they said.

When asked if computers, phones or other technology had been confiscated to search for clues and leads, Denham said, "We haven't recovered any evidence federally yet."

The neighbor says law enforcement was at the home around five hours investigating the explosives.

Other neighbors tell us their reaction to the news.

"Honestly, it makes me feel unsafe because you only know as much as someone lets you know about them," Dauphin said.

Another witness says, "It makes me think that you really do need to pay more attention to your neighbors. You don't need to turn your head. When you see traffic like that, it's not about being the neighborhood snitch. It's about making sure that your kids don't get blown up in their sleep.

We will have more on this developing story coming up today on WLOX at 6 p.m.

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