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Bomb scare in Lansford

Police are looking for a man who they believe left a homemade explosive inside a Lansford home Saturday.

According to a "be on the lookout" issued by Carbon County 911 dispatchers late Friday evening, Kenneth Conklin was armed and had stolen a 1993 Camaro.He also said he would shoot at police if confronted.Around 4 p.m. Saturday, Lansford police were called to the home of Conklin's girlfriend, Heather Conklin, after she discovered a homemade explosive device.Heather told police Kenneth left it in the residence, which is in the 200 block of West Abbott Street."We went and investigated and found that to be true, and from there we contacted the Allentown Fire Department bomb squad," Lansford Police Officer Shawn Nunemacher said Sunday afternoon.Members of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the home.The device was rendered safe and the scene was clear by 10 p.m., Nunemacher said."There is a potential for federal charges to be filed in this case," he said.There were no injuries as a result of the incident."Everyone is fine," Nunemacher said. "There were no issues. It seemed like a pretty routine event for the bomb squad."Lansford Police Sgt. Jack Soberick said the department has a great working relationship with Allentown's bomb squad and credited all the agencies that gave their time to help Saturday."The bomb squad has assisted us a few times now," Soberick said. "The Salvation Army, Lansford Fire Company and the Lehigh and Lausanne Fire Company Rehab Unit were out there for a number of hours. We're working in conjunction with the ATF. This is a big investigation and we'll have more in the coming days."In addition, Carbon County Emergency Management Agency staff and borough fire police were on scene.

A robot that was used to remove a homemade device from a residence in Lansford sits on West Abbott Street Saturday evening. SHERI RYAN/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO