Stuart Iowa Police Department
On April 24th, Stuart Officers responded to the historic Saints Center located at 320 N. Fremont St. in Stuart on reports of a suspicious device that had been found near the front door.

This was investigated by Stuart Police with the assistance of members from the Iowa State Fire Marshall Office.

The suspicious device was then secured and transported to a remote location where Stuart officers and State Fire Marshall members took actions to assure the device was safe.

The device will be sent to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation crime laboratory for further testing and evidence collection.

At this time it appears that the device was a hoax.

The Stuart Police Department is considering this as a device which was purposely placed with the intent to instill fear.

Due to the history of arson at the Saints Center and recent attacks in Boston, the Stuart Police Department is treating this as a serious incident and charges will be filed if a suspect is found.