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Bomb scare at LaGrange College dormitory | What the device turned out to be

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Published  January 7, 2026 5:54pm EST
LaGrange
FOX 5 Atlanta

The Brief

    • A suspected bomb found in a LaGrange College dormitory was identified as a student's theater class prop.
    • The incident occurred while students were away for winter break, and authorities confirmed there was no public danger.
    • The GBI Bomb Squad was called off after investigators determined the device was not a threat.

LAGRANGE, Ga. - A theater prop prompted a bomb scare at a LaGrange College dormitory Wednesday morning.

What we know:

Authorities were called around 11:30 a.m. to the Hawkins Dormitory located along Broad Street. According to the LaGrange Police Department, a resident advisor discovered what they believed to be a potential bomb inside an unoccupied dorm room.

Officials say protocol was followed, securing the area and alerting the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Bomb Squad. Investigators with the LaGrange Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division soon determined the device was a prop created for a theater class assignment.

The student who occupied the room had failed to discard or properly secure the prop as required, police said. Police promptly called off the GBI Bomb Squad and the prop was seized by authorities.

What they're saying:

Students have not yet returned to the campus from Christmas break.

"At no point was there ever any danger to any students or general public," the department stated in a news release.

The LaGrange Police Department expressed gratitude to the college staff for their "full and complete cooperation in this matter, as well as their obvious concern for the ongoing safety of their students."

The Source: The LaGrange Police Department provided the details for this article. 

LaGrangeNewsCrime and Public Safety