Greenville, Mich.-Investigators still aren’t able to say for sure that it was a fertilizer bomb that seriously injured a 27-year-old Greenville man in his own driveway when he was leaving for work the morning of Sept. 11. The victim, identified as Derek Lehman, suffered burns to his face and arm after he picked up a wooden box containing the device, which then exploded. Montcalm County sheriff’s office, which is directing the investigation, said Lehman was taken to the emergency room at the local hospital, where there were concerns that he may suffer damage to his eyesight and hearing. Press reports were consistently referring to a fertilizer bombing incident, but Undersheriff William Burden told Green Markets that those conclusions are probably premature and could have come from initial field tests at the scene. Burden said everything taken from the scene has been turned over to the Michigan state police crime lab, which will make the final determination. He described the substance in the box as a black liquid, and said the box was more sophisticated than any ordinary wooden container. “When you talk about fertilizer bombs you think of fuel oil and fertilizer, but it was nothing like that,” Burden added. Greenville Public Safety Director Mike Stuck told the local press the blast was caused by an extremely concentrated fertilizer, but he wouldn’t confirm that when contacted. Sheriff Bill Barnwell said he doesn’t think the county has ever handled anything like this before, but is convinced that it was an isolated incident with no indications that the community is in danger. No arrests have been made in the explosion, and neighbors who assisted Lehman after he was burned said he was a personable individual who didn’t have any enemies. The incident also caused the emergency room at the local hospital to be shut down temporarily because of concerns over contamination. The ER was transferred outside into a tent, and other hospitals in surrounding areas were also on alert.
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