Explosive device found on Johnson County lawn - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

A Johnson County sheriff's bomb disposal unit was called to neutralize an explosive device found in a neighborhood Wednesday.

Maj. Randy Werden says a resident traveling to work Wednesday morning called police when he saw a suspicious item at the edge of a lawn in the Fairview Heights neighborhood.

When officers arrived, they found a soft drink bottle with a chemical inside. The plastic bottle was still sealed, and had expanded to more than 3 times normal size.

Werden says officers immediately recognized the device as a "Drano bomb", where a drain cleaning product reacts inside a closed plastic bottle to create an explosive object.

Residents of approximately 12 homes in the area were sought by officers for a brief evacuation.

An explosives ordinance disposal team brought a remote controlled robot to the scene. They neutralized the device by means of a small charge, which opened the bottle and rendered it safe, according to Werden.

The evacuated residents were allowed to return about 90 minute after the incident was reported.

Werden says officers have not developed suspects in the investigation.  No one was injured.