Warning: Do not try this at home, or in a vehicle, or in a ditch on the side of the road, either. If you find what appears to be an explosive device, leave it where it is and have authorities come take a look at it.

A Chippewa Falls family, though, decided to take a highly suspicious device found in the ditch along County P in their car and transport it to the Lake Hallie Police Department Thursday. Chief of Police Gale Haas said it did appear to be a home-made explosive device. It was exploded by an area bomb squad. Its origin remains unknown.

Haas said the device was small, made with a can with a small metal cap, like a can of glue or cleaner used for working with PVC pipes. A powder that may have been an explosive substance was inside, with a wire leading from the cap area. Nails were secured around the outside of the can, as if to supply shrapnel, with the device held together with rubber radiator hose and clamps.

The family was picking up aluminum cans in the ditch near the Eau Claire and Chippewa county line. They found the device, which was not near a structure of any kind.

At about 4:20 p.m., an adult in the family brought the device to the Lake Hallie Police Department, which was the closest law enforcement agency to the location where it was found, Haas said.

Haas contacted the bomb squad. The device was placed in a safe area and exploded, he said.

It is uncertain whether the device was actually live and a risk to explode during transport of through handling.

“It appeared to have some explosive material inside. We’re not sure, because when you blow it up, you blow everything up,” Haas said.

The device had some signs of rust and may have been at the location for some time, recently melting out of the snow. Haas said he has no idea where it came from.

From the location, it’s possible it was discarded from a passing vehicle.

Haas described the family’s decision to bring the device to police “not the best idea in the world.”

He reminded the public that if something looks like it could be an explosive device, don’t handle it or move it, but leave it alone and contact law enforcement or call 911.

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