The bomb squad was called after employees found a grenade, which later turned out to be a practice grenade, that was donated with other items at Goodwill in Round Lake Beach.
Loss prevention officers at the Goodwill Store and Donation Center, 2051 North Route 83 in Round Lake Beach, called 911 around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
A worker discovered what appeared to be a grenade among hundreds of items recently donated to the store.
Officers spoke with employees and it was believed the device was a training grenade, not a live one, the police department told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
Police were concerned because someone had placed a small plug into the hollowed-out section of the grenade.
Officers were unsure exactly what they were dealing with and ordered the store evacuated. The Waukegan Bomb Squad was then contacted.
Members of the Waukegan Bomb Squad arrived on the scene and took possession of the grenade.
The bomb squad on Monday used an X-Ray machine to determine the grenade was not active and the public was never in danger.
Training grenades are usually hollowed-out decommissioned grenades that are available for purchase on the internet, police said.
“While it’s great to donate unused items you may not need to places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, people should never donate firearms or diffused explosive devices to these places,” Round Lake Beach Police Chief Wayne Wilde said.
“People who find or wish to discard these items should contact their local police instead and the police department will assist in the safe removal of these devices if needed,” Wilde said.
The police department is still investigating how the item got into a donation pile at the store.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Round Lake Beach Police Department at 847-546-2127.