On January 7, 2026, at approximately 1130 hours, Officers responded to 601 Broad Street, (LaGrange College) in reference to a potential explosive device being located inside Hawkins Dormitory.
Upon arrival, it was determined that a Resident Advisor had located a device that he believed to potentially be a bomb inside of a dorm room that was currently unoccupied, while students had not returned from Christmas break.
In accordance with protocol, the area was secured and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Bomb Squad was immediately notified of the incident and requested to respond to assess the device.
The LaGrange Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division responded and initiated an investigation into the incident which quickly determined that the student occupying the room where the device was located had in fact created the device as part of an assignment to create a prop for a Theater class project and that the project had simply not been discarded or otherwise secured by the student, as required. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations was contacted and advised to disregard their response and the device was subsequently seized to be properly disposed of.
It should be noted that at no point was there ever any danger to any students or general public.
The LaGrange Police Department is grateful to the LaGrange College staff for their full and complete cooperation in this matter, as well as their obvious concern for the ongoing safety of their students.
Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation are encouraged to contact Captain John Slonaker at (706) 883-2643.
