OREM — An investigation is under way to determine who left a pipe-bomb-like device Monday outside the University Mall.

A maintenance worker saw the 3-inch diameter, black metal pipe about 7:30 a.m. near an outside entrance to Mervyn's department store and called 911, said Orem Police Lt. Doug Edwards.

However, after opening the device Monday afternoon in an area west of Spanish Fork, the Utah County Bomb Squad found only reddish sand-like material. They didn't find any incendiary or ignition device, officials said.

"The device itself was very consistent with a pipe bomb," said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Darren Gilbert. "The way it looked, the way it was placed . . . anything of this suspicious nature (we) treat very carefully as if it were a bomb."

The device was propped on a welded "leg" and had both ends welded on — unusual traits for a pipe bomb and qualities that made it especially suspicious, Edwards said.

A matter of concern now is if the sandy material found inside the device turns out to be some type of hazardous material, although it's unlikely, Edwards said.

"We think it was probably designed by somebody as something totally innocent," he said. "It was probably an innocent set of circumstances that set it there, but it was suspicious enough that we played it safe."

And those safety precautions meant maintenance workers and store stockers had to be evacuated while the bomb squad spent about three hours at the scene. They used a robot to handle and move the device.

"They responded quickly . . . but it's a slow, methodical process," said Edwards. "They don't want to rush it and have something happen."

The remote-controlled bomb squad robot picked up the bomb-like device, then took it to a trailer, where it was placed in a special cylindrical container.

In case a bomb detonates during transport, the container is vertical, allowing the explosion to be shot into the air — the safest direction.

A convoy of officers took the device away from the busy shopping complex.

Mervyn's employees were not able to comment on the specifics of the incident, and Leanne Furman, spokeswoman for the California-based company, would not go into details, since she said the matter is under police investigation.

However, she said each of the eight Mervyn's stores in Utah has loss-prevention personnel who are trained to deal with these types of incidents.

"Their job is to keep the store a safe environment for our associates and for our customers," she said.

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