Bomb squad called to sheriff's office in Largo

Officers from the Hillsborough County Bomb Squad examine and remove explosive ordnance today from a container at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office headquarters on Ulmerton Road in Largo. [SCOTT KEELER | Times]

Shirley Widlack was cleaning out her late father's home in Seminole about 9:30 this morning when she found three items of concern: a 3-inch-long cartridge, what looked like the hollowed-out head of a mortar shell and a pipe.

Mrs. Widlak's father, who lived in the 13500 block of 87th Avenue N, had once worked on torpedo triggers for a naval ordnance facility outside of Chicago, so her husband Edward packed the things in some plastic bags, put those in a popcorn tin and drove the package to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on Ulmerton Road in Largo.

There, he handed the stuff to sheriff's employees at the front desk for proper disposal.

They immediately called the bomb squad.

Bomb specialists from Hillsborough County examined the items, which had been moved to a field behind the sheriff's headquarters. No one was evacuated from the building.

Edward Widlak said he brought the military pieces to the Sheriff's Office because he didn't want them to go to a regular trash facility, where they might end up in a compactor or an incinerator.

"We were just trying to do the right thing," said Widlak, a 72-year-old Palm Harbor resident who is retired from a sales job with a printing company.

Asked why he didn't call 911, Widlak said, "I didn't think I should bother the sheriff. This looks pretty harmless."

The bomb squad said at least one of the items appeared to be one of the devices that Shirley Widlak's father once worked on, though without explosives inside. The squad said it was not dangerous but planned to take it to MacDill Air Force Base for further examination and safe disposal.

For future reference, sheriff's spokesman Jim Bordner said, if you find something like this, please call 911. They'll send someone out to pick it up.

Jonathan Abel, Times staff writer. Times photo by Scott Keeler.