'Hoax bomb' discovered at Pearland-area trailer park

PEARLAND, TX The landlord found the device at a home near Country Road 48 and Country Road 894 near Pearland.

As the landlord was clearing out the home from the previous tenant, he thought he discovered a bomb. It turns out the suspicious device was a fake. However, detectives say their suspect is still in trouble.

It was mid-afternoon when Brazoria County Sheriff's deputies surrounded a mobile home not too far from the Pearland city line. They had the entire Willow Manor Mobile Home Park blocked off, which meant Cassie Galbreath couldn't get home.

"The place was shut down," she said. "There were tons of cops and vans and trucks. You could not get in."

When she finally did, she was surprised by what she learned. Officers, as well as FBI agents, spent a long time there before finally collecting what appeared to be bomb-making materials.

On Monday night, the young man who had just moved out was nowhere to be found. Adriana Santiago would give him an earful if he was.

"I come home and I don't like hearing that someone behind my house is making bombs," Santiago said. "I have an 8- and 4-year-old, and I don't appreciate that. That's scary."

Detectives call what they found Monday is a hoax bomb, which is still against the law. The suspect, who detectives aren't identifying, faces a Class A misdemeanor charge. However, authorities are trying to upgrade the charge to a felony, saying the materials they found warrant that upgrade.