Treutlen sheriff carries dangerous explosives in his truck

SOPERTON - The Treutlen County sheriff drove around with a box of potentially dangerous explosives on the dashboard of his truck, until state agents warned him of the danger. <br> <br> Sheriff Wayne Hooks said he received a box of blasting caps Wednesday from a woman who wanted to get rid of them. She said the caps belonged to her late husband, a construction worker. <br> <br> Hooks said he didn&#39;t know the caps could explode when agitated. <br> <br> ``They are very sensitive,&#39;&#39; said Greg Harvey, assistant special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation office in Eastman. ``They are very volatile, and you are supposed to handle them with caution and care.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> GBI bomb squad expert Dawn Rhodes and another agent met Hooks at his home in rural Treutlen County, where they detonated the explosives. It caused a boom heard for 5 miles around, including in Soperton. Hooks said the blast left a good-sized hole in his yard. <br> <br> ``The neighbors came by and kind of wanted to know what was going on,&#39;&#39; he said. ``It rattled the area.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> In a pending unrelated case, Hooks and Treutlen Deputy Ryan Griner have pleaded innocent to assaulting two people in custody. Authorities say Hooks used unreasonable force in the October 2001 incident.