Chichester residents evacuated, officers find inert grenade, house doused with flammables

Residents of a Chichester Estates neighborhood were evacuated Sunday afternoon following reports of a man with a handgun in front of a home in the 1340 block of East Marion Russell.

The floors of the residence were doused with gasoline and kerosene and officers discovered an inert grenade in the front yard.

Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Bernadette Smith said when deputies arrived just before 1 p.m., the suspect was leaving in a vehicle, but they were able to stop him and take the weapon.

Deputies determined he needed mental health assistance.

While securing the residence, the East Fork Fire District was dispatched to investigate a chemical odor. A grenade was found in the front yard and the Tahoe-Douglas Explosive Ordnance Disposal was summoned.

The bomb squad determined the grenade was inert and the residence was safe to enter.

A Tri-Net task force team found no evidence of a drug laboratory, but the floors had been doused with kerosene and gasoline.

Weapons inside the residence were confiscated.

The suspect was hospitalized for a mental health evaluation.

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