Ohio couple finds tear gas in basement

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (AP) — Tear gas discovered by the new residents of a southern Ohio home has led to the visit by a bomb squad.

WBEX radio reports a couple who recently moved into a home in Chillicothe cleaned out the basement on Sunday and hauled a 5-gallon drum out to the curb. That’s where they noticed it was marked “Tear Gas.”

They called local authorities, who summoned a bomb squad from Columbus, 45 miles away. The radio station reports squad members determined the drum contained tear gas canisters that were at least 40 years old and were unstable and dangerous.

The couple’s find was taken to a park, where it was safely destroyed. It’s not clear what the tear gas was doing in the basement.