Grenade found in Anna, Ill., newspaper office

ANNA, Ill. -- A grenade on a desk set off a scare that caused the evacuation of two blocks in Anna on Thursday.

Police received a call at 8:35 a.m., according to an Anna Police Department news release, saying a hand grenade was found on a desk at the Democrat-Gazette newspaper. Police evacuated a two-block area while the Illinois Secretary of State Bomb Squad came in and removed the grenade at about 11:45 a.m. By noon the area was deemed all clear.

A suspect was identified as a man who was a contract cleaner, according to the release. The man said in an interview with Illinois State Police that he had left the grenade, which apparently wasn't live, on the desk Wednesday as a paperweight for the newspaper owner.

It wasn't clear Thursday whether any charges would be filed.

Pertinent address:

Anna, IL