Cleaning Lady Discovers IED in Teen's Room: Police

Think of all the things you imagine a cleaning woman might find in an 18-year-old male's room. An IED probably wasn't on your list. But that's exactly what police say an Arizona housecleaner discovered this week in a Tempe home. After spotting a suspicious-looking device with wires coming out of it, the apparently very brave woman took it to the fire station, where it was X-rayed and determined to be an improvised explosive device that was ready to be detonated, authorities say. "It was something that wasn't big, but could cause serious injuries and the death of someone," says a Tempe police sergeant.

The bomb squad disabled the device and then searched the home—the woman showed police photos she had taken of other suspicious items in the teen's room, the Arizona Republic reports. Police found other bomb-making materials and ultimately arrested high school senior Joshua Prater, 18. They say there was no indication Prater intended to attack his school; they still aren't sure what his plans for the device were. If true, this detail doesn't exactly qualify Prater's parents for the Responsible-Adults-of-the-Year award: They reportedly told police Prater's friends taught him how to make bombs, MyFox Phoenix reports. (More strange stuff stories.)