WWII Grenade Found On Beach At WA State Park

PORT TOWNSEND, WA - A man visiting Fort Worden State Park near Port Townsend found a World War II-era grade while walking along the beach - and he took it home.

The man found the grenade on Sunday, according to the Peninsula Daily News, and took it back to his home. He called 911, and the Washington State Patrol bomb squad came and picked up the device. State police later destroyed the grenade.

Fort Warden did serve as a military base during World War II, and other munitions have been found in the area before. Last June, a person walking along a beach near Fort Warden found a 70-pound artillery shell. Navy officials determined that the device was inert. In December 2012, someone found a World War-II era grenade at the Four Corners Grocery Store in Port Townsend.

State parks officials have warned visitors not to remove dangerous or potentially historical items from park grounds. The unidentified man who found the grenade told police that he was worried that the device might pose a danger to other visitors at the park, which is why he removed it.

Park rangers searched the beach where the grenade was found, but did not find any other antique explosive devices.

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