World War II-era mortar shell found in Indio

A World War II-era mortar shell was uncovered today at anIndio car dealership when a work crew dug underneath the concrete, a policeofficial said.

Indio police were dispatched at 8 a.m. to the Fiesta Ford dealership at78990 Varner Road, where the crew was working near a car display.

As they dug, workers found the 30-inch tall shell that prompted the callto Indio police.

Responding officers then called the Riverside County sheriff’s bombsquad unit to examine the shell, which was later determined to be a dud, Indiopolice spokesman Ben Guitron said.

The dealership was evacuated for most of the morning before beingreopened about noon.

A bomb squad unit from the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air GroundCombat Center was called as a precautionary measure to pick up the mortar shellthat apparently had been buried for more than 70 years, Guitron said.

The site where the dealership is located once was part of a sandy areawhere the military trained during World War II, Guitron said.

No injuries were reported.