What appeared to be a homemade bomb detonated in the middle of a street in the Suttons Community is being investigated by SLED. On the early morning of Friday, March 8, residents of the Suttons Community were startled by the sound of an explosion. One resident ventured out to check out what had happened and discovered pieces of material scattered on a section of Jane Harvin Road. The contents according to authorities at the scene contained materials typically used in the manufacture of certain explosives.

The damage left by the explosive was a small burned area on the surface to the road but the fact that someone prepared such a device and placed it where a vehicle could have been damaged or worse, a child could have been injured or killed has law enforcement taking it very seriously. "You can look at it as someone playing a prank or practicing," said Williamsburg County Sheriff Michael Johnson, whose team arrived first on the scene. "But that tells us we got somebody who likes to play with bombs." Law enforcement, he explained, understands the potential in such behavior, which has played out in scenes such as the Oklahoma City bombing carried out by American Timothy McVeigh. "We think this may have been a teenager experimenting and not anything more than that," said Johnson. "However, if they continue experimenting then decide they want to blow something up - it can head in that direction."

Bomb making is illegal under federal and many states' laws. Bomb making instructions can easily be found on the Internet. In 1994, the US Congress passed a law making it illegal to distribute or pass out information about building bombs. However, the law only applies when the information is passed out to help someone commit a federal crime.

The seriousness of the Suttons Community incident occurred just as the Williamsburg County Sheriff's Office is partnering with EMS, E911, fire departments, highway patrol, school district, local technical college and others in a public safety support initiative. Public safety groups will conduct countywide community meetings to discuss resilience initiatives to better assist and understand the needs of its citizens in the event of an emergency such as manmade and natural disasters. For more information and to schedule a meeting call (843) 354-9330.