Blasting caps bought at estate sale

PERKINS TWP. — A man recently turned in blasting caps that he purchased at a Perkins Township estate sale. Just before 10 a.m. on Sunday, a man dropped off blasting caps at Perkins' fire state on Campbell Street, according to a Perkins police report. A Perkins fire captain told officers the man bought the caps at an estate sale in the 3600 block of Dill Ave. thinking they were electrical wiring components. The man said when he brought the caps home, he realized they were actually explosives, the report states. Firefighters called Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth who, in turn, called the Lorain County Bomb Squad to take possession of the blasting caps. Blasting caps are small explosive charges that are inserted into larger explosives. An electrical pulse sent through the blasting cap wiring causes a detonation which in turn sets off the larger explosive. This is the second time this month that explosives that originated at a home in the 3600 block of Dill Ave. were recovered. On Friday, a woman cleaning out the home's basement discovered a World War II-era mortar shell, according to a Perkins police report. The woman moved the shell to the home's kitchen then notified authorities. The same bomb squad was called. When members of the squad, arrived they confirmed the shell was World War II-era and took possession of it to dispose of it at a secure location. Perkins police Chief Jeff Musser said there is no concern that additional ordnance from this home could be out in the public.