Pipe bomb scare fizzles at Breezy

What looked like a pipe bomb, found by a guest in a room at Breezy Point Inn and Suites Tuesday, turned out to be an inert training device.

About 1:15 p.m. Breezy Point Police Chief Steve Rudek said his office received a call from the resort, stating one of its guests had found a pipe bomb in his room under a heating register and threw it out a window.

Assisted by the Pequot Lakes, Crosslake and Nisswa police departments and the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Department, Breezy Point police officers evacuated the 120-room hotel.

The Crow Wing County Bomb Squad moved in and dismantled the suspected pipe bomb, using a robotic device to knock the end cap off and look inside the suspected bomb, said Rudek.

When inspected the pipe bomb turned out to be a training device, left behind after a Minnesota State Patrol Explorers convention earlier in the year at the resort.

"It was built to look like the real thing," said Rudek. "In outward appearances it looked like the real thing, but once (the bomb squad) looked inside, it was lacking the major components," of a pipe bomb.

Rudek said search of the building found no other suspicious items. The FBI also was called to investigate.

"We're confident our guys have solved why it was there," said Rudek. "There was no criminal intent intended, but it did definitely lead to some unfortunate circumstances with the evacuation of people from that unit and time and effort spent by law enforcement officials."