Firecracker bombs found
at Campbell High School

By Crystal Kua
Star-Bulletin

The remains of an exploded homemade firecracker bomb and an unexploded one were discovered during routine patrols on the Campbell High School campus yesterday morning.

It was the school's second incident involving a firecracker bomb in less than a week.

"One was broken open and the other appeared to be burned ... (but) hadn't cracked open," Vice Principal Robert Elliott said of yesterday's discovery. The devices, firecrackers wrapped in tape, were found at 11:20 a.m. on an access road alongside the library which leads to the back of the campus. It appears the firecracker devices were placed there some time over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Police were called as a precautionary measure, Elliott said. Police shut down North Road, which borders the school's makai perimeter, and brought in the bomb squad, which safely disposed of the unexploded device.

"As a precautionary measure, we went into a lockdown, kept everyone in the classroom," Elliott said. "We kept everyone away from it." The all-clear came at 12:35 p.m. "At no time was anyone in danger, no explosion, no threat ...or nothing," Elliott said.

On Nov. 23, a firecracker bomb exploded on the campus at about 10:30 a.m. "As long as Hawaii celebrates with fireworks, we will have fireworks at school," Elliott said. No one was hurt in any of the incidents.