SANTA ROSA COUNTY

SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Sheriff Wendell Hall

Three Subjects Suffer Serious Injuries in Jay after Hand Grenade Explodes

On September 14, 2008 , shortly after 4pm , Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to 3837 Nowling Road in Jay. The initial call came in through the Emergency Operations Center ( EOC ), stating that three adult males had been injured after a car battery exploded. EOC was requesting deputies to assist in landing Life Flight for one of the victims. When fire department personnel and deputies arrived on scene, they discovered that the three victims had suffered injuries from a hand grenade that had exploded. One victim, Johnny Bruce Pyles (29 years old), was transported by Life Flight to Sacred Heart Hospital with severe injuries and trauma to his body and hands. Pyles was holding the grenade in his hand when it detonated. The two other victims, James E. Grice (37 years old) and Zachary Talbot (26 years old) were transported to Jay Hospital with serous injuries suffered from the shrapnel from the grenade. They were later transported to other hospitals having the resources to care for trauma type injuries. Initial investigations reveal that the subjects were standing outside around the bed of a pickup truck when they were handling the grenade. When it exploded, the shrapnel pierced numerous parts of the pickup truck, leaving fragments from the grenade in the surrounding vicinity. The fuse, pin, and various fragments of the grenade were recovered at the scene. In addition to Sheriff's Office Investigators and Crime Scene, ATF and the State Fire Marshal's Office also responded and are participating in this joint investigation. Investigators searched the premises for other possible devices and none were located. Investigators went to the residence of one of the other victims, which is also located in Jay, and located a second hand grenade and the ATF took it into their custody. Investigators are in the process of determining where the devices were obtained and what the victims were doing with the grenades. All of the victims were from the Jay area. Updates will follow concerning the condition of the victims. The investigation is continuing. No further information is known at this time. Further releases will follow as more information becomes available.       

Press Release By:

Sgt. Scott Haines

Media Relations Division

850-981-2136

shaines@srso.net