Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
SANTA ROSA — New Mexico State Police are investigating after an explosive device was found at a famous diving spot in eastern New Mexico.
Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez said the state police bomb squad was called out to the Blue Hole on Thursday after a visitor noticed a suspicious device in the fresh-water spring.
The park was evacuated, and the bomb squad determined that the device was in fact an explosive.
Gutierrez says there were no injuries or property damage.
State police divers also conducted a sweep of the water in Blue Hole as a precaution.
Earlier this week, an Albuquerque man was arrested for setting off an explosive device inside a portable toilet at Conchas Lake State Park in northeastern New Mexico. Two explosive devices were also recently found near a Clovis landfill and another was found in Roswell.
State police Capt. Jimmy Glascock said investigators "at this point" haven't established any connection among the many explosive devices.
"We are certainly looking to see if they might all be related," Glascock said. "But no, there's nothing at this point to indicate a connection."
Glascock, who was still at Blue Hole with investigators late Thursday afternoon, said the state police bomb squad swept the park and discovered another suspicious device but it turned out be a geocaching device and not an explosive.
Glascock said the device emits a signal that is often used by geocachers, who try to locate such items using a GPS as part of treasure hunting games.
Glascock declined to describe the explosive device found at Blue Hole, saying he didn't want to endanger ongoing investigations.
"But no," Glascock said, "I wouldn't classify this latest one as a pipe bomb."