Police Call on ATF to Investigate Suspicious Package at Trenton High School

The is seeking aid from the Michigan State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to determine the manufacturer of a found at Trenton High School on Thursday.

Administration at notified police that a suspicious package was found in the teachers' parking lot on West Road at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Earlier that day, students had been

According to Trenton Police Chief William Lilienthal the package "was a container with a cellphone attached to it, which would lead one to believe it was an actual explosive device."

The package was destroyed with a water cannon on scene by the Wayne County Airport Authority's Explosives Ordinance Disposal. Police collected the remaining contents of the package for further investigation.

Lilienthal said the case is under investigation and Trenton police are pursuing every possible lead. He added that police are requesting assistance from the Michigan State Police and the ATF because the two entities have the resources to help them determine the manufacturer of the package.

"As soon as the contents are examined, or analyzed, we will have further information to pursue," Lilienthal said.

Mayor and former Trenton Police Chief Gerald Brown, who was also on the scene, said the ATF is going to run tests on the residue from the package.

"It (the suspicious package) was somewhat sophisticated and someone went to a lot of trouble to make it," Brown said. "It looked real, but I have not heard that it was a device that could have gone off."

Lilienthal said the ATF works in conjunction with local authorities any time there is a situation like the one at the high school.

Any results from analyzing the contents of the package could take up to three weeks to obtain, according to Lilienthal.

Any information regarding the package or its manufacturer should be directed to the Trenton Police Department at 734-676-3737.