by Alan McArthur
Landmark reporter

A suspicious item was discovered in the dumpster at the Trex Mart convenience store in Tracy on Monday around 9 a.m.

The item was found by a Deffenbaugh trash crew before emptying the dumpster at the gas station. The Platte County Sheriff's Department then responded and secured the south side of the parking lot.

The department then called in the Kansas City Bomb and Arson Squad, who retrieved the item with a robot. The item was later detonated after the Hazardous Materials team from the Southern Platte County Fire District responded.

According to Frank Hunter, captain with the Platte County Sheriff's Department, the item was a Coke bottle with wires attached to it and an unknown liquid inside. Authorities detonated the item as a precaution.

Hunter said the item appeared to be giving off heat and was considered an incendiary device.
The Trex Mart was closed for around 30 minutes at about 12:30 p.m. while the item was detonated. The detonation occurred around 12:45 p.m.

Shortly before the detonation, a large dump truck was able to drive into the secure portion of the parking lot before being stopped by deputies. The driver and passenger were asked to exit the vehicle before the item was detonated.

The sheriff's department and bomb squad left the scene shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday.