BELKNAP, Ill. — Families living in this tiny town can't believe what happened.
Kids coming home from school and parents getting off work were met by officers, who told them it was unsafe to go inside their houses or down certain streets.
What police at first thought would be a routine meth lab bust turned out to be a whole lot more when they found a convicted felon in possesion of a loaded gun and then a suspicious object, believed to be a bomb.
It all happened in Johnson County, Illinois, on Seminary Street in the Village of Belknap.
A handful of homes had to be evacuated for several hours this afternoon, until given the all-clear by the state bomb squad.
The Johnson County Sheriff arrested Randall Scott Higgins. He faces charges of possesion of a weapon by a felon.
Some neighbors shamefully admit the village of Belknap is no stranger to meth labs but they all said this is the first time they've ever had to worry about a bomb.
After being forced out of their homes, dealing with deputies, a bomb squad and learning a well-known neighbor was making meth, families in this community said they'll think twice about letting their kids play outside.
"Not necessarily just the bombs and cops but the meth lab deal is really scary," father Wes Hettinger said.
The camper where the sheriff said Higgins made the meth is practically in Hettinger's back yard. That's where his two year old son played.
"At some point in life, he's going to be influenced by something. It's a terrible thought people are out there that close that could influence him," Hettinger said.
Down the street, another neighbor remembers when Higgins was just a kid and used to play on the same streets that are now part of a crime scene.
"I lived here for close to 40 years, I tell you what, I don't know," neighbor Donald Mattingly said.
After waiting for hours, the bomb squad arrived, placed a detenation device inside the camper and everyone had to take cover.
While this was no bomb, it was quite the scare.
Hettinger is not in despair but will use today as a teaching tool for his son.
"When he gets a little older and we've kind of done the small town thing of taking pictures of cop cars and all, and you can explain to him that's what was going on, someone was breaking the law, someone was doing something terrible, now they're going to spend some time in jail," Hettinger said.
To clarify, the explosion neighbors heard was the sound of what investigators thought was a bomb being blown up by the bomb squad's detonator. Turns out it wasn't a bomb but the Sheriff said it's always better safe than sorry.
This is the first time the bomb squad was ever called to a Johnson County meth bust.
Higgins is lodged at the Massac County Detention Center. The Johnson County sheriff said meth-related charges are pending.
