CLEARLAKE – Clearlake Police detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding a hand grenade that was found in an apartment on Wednesday, causing the complex to be evacuated.

Officer responded to the Olympic Village Apartments, located at 15097 Olympic Drive, at 1:43 p.m. Wednesday after the grenade was located inside a vacant apartment, according to Lt. Mike Hermann.

Hermann said the apartment's residents had moved out approximately one week prior and, during the cleanup of the apartment by staff members, the grenade was found.

When officers arrived and inspected the device, they found it had been altered and appeared to have some type of igniter switch attached to the bottom, Hermann said.

For precautionary purposes, the apartments immediately surrounding the area were evacuated and the Napa County Bomb Squad was called in to assist. Hermann said when the bomb squad arrived, they determined that the safest way to deal with the grenade was to detonate it.

In preparation, police closed Olympic Drive and the rear parking lot area of Rite Aid to all traffic. With the assistance of the Lake County Office of Emergency Services, Lake County Fire, Clearlake Public Works as well as numerous Clearlake Police officers and volunteers, the location was cleared and secured, according to Hermann.

Hermann said the device was removed from the apartment by the bomb squad robot and placed into secured makeshift bunker on the property, where at approximately 8 p.m. it was detonated.

An inspection of the debris determined that the grenade had been refilled with gun powder. Hermann said the resident responsible for the grenade has been identified and an investigation is being conducted for the illegal possession of the device.

He said the Clearlake Police Department was thankful for the assistance provided by Lake County Fire, OES, the Napa County Bomb Squad, Public Works and police volunteers who readily made themselves available to assist.

Hermann said the department also thanked the residents of the Olympic Village Apartments, as well as the management of Rite Aid, for their cooperation and patience.

Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251.