Pipe bomb found
<p>Lieutenant Jay Heintz ropes off the area around the Budget Saver Motel Annex where a small pipe bomb was found at 2:01 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. Staff from the Budget Saver Motel contacted police after they found the device in one of the rented rooms.</p>
<p>Coeur d'Alene Police Officer Anders Tenney, blocks off a section of 15th street after a pipe bomb scare on Tuesday at the Budget Saver Motel Annex.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - The discovery of a small pipe bomb in a Coeur d'Alene motel room on Tuesday afternoon prompted police officers to evacuate nearby residents and shut down a portion of 15th Street for more than three hours.
According to a press release from the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, the approximately 5-inch-long explosive device was found shortly after 2 p.m. by management at the Budget Saver Motel Annex, 1519 Sherman Ave.
Officers responded to the motel and, according to the release, one officer went inside and confirmed that it was in fact an explosive device. The surrounding apartments were evacuated and police closed 15th Street from Sherman Avenue to Coeur d'Alene Avenue.
The Spokane Bomb Squad was called to assist local law enforcement officers. Around 5 p.m., members of the bomb squad entered the room and removed the device.
At 5:43 p.m., police reopened 15th Street and, according to the release, an investigation into the device and the person staying in the room is underway.