The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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August 6, 2007

Grenade at thrift store inactive

Supervisor does right thing by alerting police

By Tanner Kent

MANKATO — Donna Goettl has seen some strange things dropped off at the Again Thrift & More store where she is supervisor.

Couches, TVs, hazardous chemicals, wooden figurines that strangely transform into corkscrews. But nothing quite so extraordinary — or heartstopping — as what was found Monday morning.

Goettl said she was busy at work when an employee approached her about an apparent hand grenade found while sorting through a donated box. Goettl, convinced of the object’s danger, quickly evacuated the building of both customers and employees and called police.

“It looked like a grenade,” Goettl said. “It had the feel of a grenade — real heavy — with a pin in it and lettering that would lead a person to believe it was real.”

After the Mankato Department of Public Safety arrived at the store at 482 Raintree Road, the grenade was quickly found to be non-explosive. The grenade, although real at one time, was hollowed and did not pose any threat.

“The report came in that the pin was still in the grenade,” said Mankato Police Cmdr. Craig Frericks, “so we didn’t consider it a bomb situation. ... We discovered the bottom of the grenade was bored out and that everything was safe.”

Goettl was then given the all-clear to re-enter the store and resume normal business. Frericks said Goettl did the right thing by alerting authorities and said all potentially explosive devices should be taken seriously.

“That’s just the world we live in,” Frericks said.

Goettl said it was impossible to tell if the box had been left at the store Monday morning or sometime prior. Many items that potential donors are unsure about — often large items such as couches or hazardous items such as paint thinner — are simply left near the front door overnight. Goettl said the removal and disposal of such items is costly and keeps prices higher.

Just this week, Goettl said she has had to spend $185 removing unadmittable items from the property. That amount of money is enough to pay a part-time staff member for an entire week of work.

“It is a problem,” Goettl said.

The grenade was found in a box that contained what appeared to be other military objects, such as knives. Knives are accepted as donations, but explosives are not.

“Everybody at the store agreed to never say, ‘I’ve seen it all,’” Goettl said.

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