HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT An explosive ordnance disposal technician from Nellis Air Force Base carefully removes an 81mm mortar shell, minus its fuse, from a car at the courthouse Monday afternoon. The shell was brought in by a man who grew worried when it began leaking some substance. Advertisement

The Nye County Courthouse saw some excitement Monday afternoon when a local resident (as of this writing unidentified by the sheriff's office) brought a defused mortar shell to the sheriff's office.

Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said the well-intentioned resident's father was using the mortar shell, which appeared to be a 81mm round from the early 1950s, as a doorstop when the son noticed it was leaking a white substance.

The man put the shell into the trunk of his vehicle and parked in front of the sheriff's office, leaving the shell inside.

Although the device was thought not likely to blow up, just to be on the safe side Nye County Emergency Services and the sheriff's auxiliary prevented additional cars from entering the parking lot and set up a perimeter around the car which sat docile with its trunk popped open.

"We were more concerned with it being in a vehicle above a gas tank," DeMeo said.

Court continued as usual with employees entering the building through a side entrance.

Meanwhile the sheriff's office waited until the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit arrived from Nellis Air Force Base to take the small, red-tipped mortar shell away.