South Carolina Landscape Contractor Finds Pipe Bomb

A pipe bomb discovered by a landscape contractor in South Carolina was destroyed Wednesday by police.

The contractor found a piece of pipe while doing work in the Deer Track Golf Resort area of Surfside Beach.

He put the pipe in his truck, and later - while he was doing work in Myrtle Beach on Antigua Lane - decided to call the police because it looked suspicious, said Horry County police spokesman Robert Kegler.

Horry County police's bomb squad identified the object as a pipe bomb and destroyed it.

Kegler said the squad conducted a sweep later Wednesday of the area in Deer Track where the object was found to make sure there were no other pipes or dangerous materials.

No arrests were made or charges filed.

No evacuation of the area was ordered, but neighboring residents were notified of the situation.

"He was riding around with it in his truck for a little bit.

"He decided to take a closer look at it, and he saw some gunpowder in it and decided to call us," said Capt. David Knipes, spokesman for the Myrtle Beach police.

Knipes said there was no fuse in the bomb, which was about 12 inches long and 1.5 inches in diameter.

According to the police incident report, the serial number was partially scratched off of the pipe.

The landscaper told police that he opened the pipe, looked inside, saw gunpowder, closed it, and put it back in his truck before calling police.