A teenage thief put his unsuspecting grandmother at risk of criminal charges after sneaking five stolen Civil War-era cannonballs into her luggage at an Alabama airport, forcing TSA officers to evacuate the screening area over fears the historic artillery shells could still explode.

Airport Security Discovers Historic Theft

Transportation Security Administration Officer Justin Dupree spotted suspicious objects wrapped in paper towels while scanning checked bags at Gulf Shores International Airport on July 18. The TSA veteran immediately recognized the grapefruit-sized spheres could be live explosives from the X-ray images. Dupree alerted his supervisor Richard Cash, who brought in the region’s explosives specialist and contacted the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office to inspect what appeared to be five antique cannonballs hidden among the traveler’s belongings.

The passenger told law enforcement she had no knowledge of how the military artifacts ended up in her suitcase. Sheriff’s deputies quickly determined her 17-year-old grandchild had stolen the cannonballs from a storage area at Fort Morgan, a historic military installation in Gasque, Alabama. The teenager apparently hid the stolen items in his grandmother’s luggage without her knowledge, potentially exposing her to federal charges for transporting what officers initially feared were live munitions.

TSA Officer Describes Tense Moments

Dupree said his first thought when viewing the X-ray screen centered on finding help immediately. The officer could not identify a visible fuse on the spherical objects, raising concerns about their stability and explosive potential. Law enforcement specialists determined the cannonballs were inert after careful examination and traced them back to Fort Morgan. Deputies returned the historic artifacts to the fort, where administrators chose not to press charges against the juvenile offender or his grandmother.

Historic Fort Recovers Stolen Artillery

Fort Morgan served as a critical coastal defense installation throughout American military history, housing numerous Civil War-era weapons and ammunition. The cannonballs varied in size, with the largest measuring approximately the diameter of a grapefruit. Dupree reflected on the unusual discovery, noting he had encountered inert grenades and training munitions during his TSA career but never faced what he described as a stolen artifact situation reminiscent of an Indiana Jones adventure film. The incident highlights ongoing security challenges at regional airports and the importance of vigilant screening procedures to protect travelers from both intentional threats and accidental dangers.