September 1, 2020 – Beaver Dam, WI – On Monday August 31, 2020 at approximately 4:40pm Beaver Dam Police Department Officers were dispatched to 222 Madison Street near the dam for a report of a grenade being retrieved from the water by a subject “magnet fishing.”
Magnet fishing is when subjects use a large powerful magnet thrown into the water to gather metal objects such as lures that are laying at the bottom of a river or lake.
After inspection of the grenade it was determined that it was real and potentially “live” with the possibility that it could detonate under the right circumstances.
Contact was made with the Dane County Bomb Squad to discuss the proper procedure to dispose of the grenade. After seeing photos of the grenade and speaking with the Beaver Dam Police Department Supervisors, they determined they would send a team out to assist in the disposal of the grenade.
Due to the degradation of the grenade from being in the water for quite some time the Dane County Bomb Squad was unable to confirm if it was actually “live” without further testing but felt it was necessary to take precautions for everyone’s safety.
The bridge over the dam was shut down for approximately two hours while the grenade was removed, disposed of properly, and rendered safe by the Dane County Bomb Squad.