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Live mortar round from WWII found, detonated in Lebanon

Posted at 6:33 AM, Feb 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-18 20:42:11-05

LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — 13-year-old Blake Davis made quite a discovery in Lebanon using his metal detector – a live mortar round from World War II.

The mortar was found Monday behind Hartmann Plantation.

The round was left over from when the area was used as training grounds during WWII.

"I saw it and thought it was a piece of metal, but then after looking at it closely I realized it's an explosion," Davis said.

Davis was with his 11-year-old brother Daniel. They both told their mom what they found and called police.

Tennessee Highway Patrol’s bomb squad, along with Fort Campbell representatives, confirmed the round was live. It was too unstable to be moved, so they had to detonate it there.

"Honestly it's really crazy, I never expected something like that to happen," Davis said.

Police say the blast was heard in the area, which prompted concern. They say the area was searched for other mortars before they deemed the area safe.