Agents with theBureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms, the Newton County Sheriff's Office and other law agencies are converged on an area of Newton County after a suspicious device was discovered on a dirt road within a half-mile of Deweyville High School.
The school was evacuated as a precaution early on when the Sheriff's Office informed the district that deputies were investigating a suspicious package near the campus. The students were taken to the elementary campus.
Early Monday afternoon a Department of Public Safety trooper told 12News the device was a pipe bomb. Later in the day officials said they were not sure if the device was an explosive.
Deputies say it appears that it was placed intentionally for someone to find.
The area where the device was found is along a dirt road just off of Highway 12. Authorities an employee with Samson Energy found the device. The company has a well down the road.
Agents with the ATF had the device dismantled within a couple hours of arriving on the scene. Around 3:30 p.m. students and faculty were given the go-ahead to return to the high school campus.
Pieces of the device are being sent to a lab where they will be tested to see if the parts are explosive.
Hazmat crews cleaned the area where the device was found to remove any chemicals left behind.
