MORGAN CITY — U.S. Army soldiers from Fort Polk near Leesville responded Sunday to a discovery of live ordnance on the 500 block of Everett Street after an individual cleaning out an old house discovered something that he thought might need extra attention.

“An individual had found what appeared to be an old hand-grenade device,” Morgan City Police Capt. Mike Marino said. “It got to us third-hand. He was trying to find a place to take this thing to get rid of it,” he said.

Marino said that MCPD officers photographed the device and sent it to state police as per normal procedure when possible live ordnance is found.

“Eventually, state police concluded it was a piece of military ordnance. So, they referred us to the Department of Defense people,” Marino said.

He said that the MCPD’s role was to conduct the initial investigation and to provide perimeter security. Officers responded at 12:22 p.m., blocked off nearby streets until soldiers came from Fort Polk and reopened the roads at 6:12 p.m. after the soldiers left with the grenade.