A Twentynine Palms Marine was arrested after he tried to board a flight with smoke grenades and “ground burst simulators.”
Steven Corey Vella, 20, was arrested on March 4 after he attempted to board a flight to New York carrying a variety of banned items, reports the Desert Sun.
Inside Vella’s luggage, Transportation Security Administration officers allegedly discovered two live smoke grenades, a dummy hand grenade, an inert mortar body shell and three “ground burst simulators,” which are a military training tool used to simulate the sound of battle explosions.
Vella was arrested in March and was given a misdemeanor citation by Palm Springs police. Last week, felony charges were filed against Vella by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for possessing an explosive in a prohibited area.
No word yet on why Vella was attempting to bring the items on a plane.
