Mysterious pipes hidden for fun force bomb squad to clear Wisconsin park, police say

A summer concert series in Wisconsin was about to kick off when the organizers made a worrisome discovery.

What appeared to be pipe bombs had been hidden near the entertainment area at Regner Park in West Bend, a city of about 32,000 north of Milwaukee.

In less than two hours, they expected a large crowd to descend upon the park Thursday for an evening of music, food and drinks for Regner Rocks.

The Milwaukee County bomb squad rushed to the park to clear the area and investigate the mysterious devices.

Video by the Washington County Insider captured a police dog sweeping the area in search of possible explosives.

Investigators found white, 8-inch cylindrical tubes capped at both ends scattered throughout the park — some hidden by trees and others near large rocks.

In all, they found 10 pipes.

Though the bomb squad determined none of the pipes contained explosives, police investigated who put them in the park and why.

By Friday, West Bend police had a likely suspect: a 51-year-old woman from Ozaukee County.

The woman told investigators she hid the pipes for a scavenger hunt — unaware a concert was scheduled, police say.

“She acknowledged that she did not notify anyone she was doing this,” police said.

Now the woman could be arrested. The police referred a charge of disorderly conduct to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.

The HomeTown Foundation, the organizer of the Regner Rocks concert series, said in a statement “we have many thoughts and emotions about last night,” including “relief.”

“We are relieved that our community members, vendors, performers, crew and our team members are safe,” the organization said.

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