For the Miami Valley Today

BETHEL TOWNSHIP — The Miami County Sheriff’s Office received a report of potential dynamite in a garage in Bethel Township on Tuesday, which was later determined to be road flares.

The Sheriff’s Office received correspondence from an attorney representing a client who had been a former tenant at a rental property in the 4000 block of West Charleston Road in Bethel Township, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office. The correspondence was received by the Sheriff’s Office Tuesday morning. The attorney relayed that his client had left four sticks of what he suspected was dynamite in a small safe in a detached garage on the property. The attorney further relayed that his client advised him that the suspected dynamite was leaking a clear gel. The residence is located in a residential area. Deputies evacuated several houses in close proximity to the garage.

Mutual aid was requested from the Dayton Police Department Bomb Squad, who did respond to the scene. Additionally, Bethel Fire and Rescue also staged in the area. The Dayton Bomb Squad was able to safely remove the small safe from the garage. The safe and contents were later detonated in a field in the area. The contents of the safe contained road flares and not dynamite. Miami County Sheriff’s detectives are continuing to investigate and follow-up on this matter.

West Charleston Road was closed from approximately 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Sheriff’s Office gave special thanks to the Dayton Bomb Squad and Bethel Fire and Rescue.