Arapahoe County Bomb Squad diffuses pipe bomb in Englewood neighborhood

Englewood police and the Arapahoe County Bomb Squad responded to a home on Monday to defuse a pipe bomb. Officers first responded to the home at 4945 S. Delaware Street just after 1:30 p.m. Monday on reports of a suspicious incident. 

 A resident of the home had told officers they found what was believed to be a pipe bomb outside near an air conditioning unit. That resident was urged to stay away from the home. 

Officers shut down the road and issued a shelter-in-place for houses nearby. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad confirmed the pipe bomb was a viable explosive device and they rendered the device safe. 

The Englewood Police SWAT team served a search warrant and collected evidence from the home. 

Englewood police were called to the same home last week, on June 29, regarding a possible explosive. At that time, two men admitted to making explosives in their garage. Those suspects, identified as Michael Steven Lubotsky, 50, and Brian Gessing, 51, were transported to the Arapahoe County Jail on possession of explosives or incendiary devices and possession of drug paraphernalia charges. 

The house is right across the street from Colorado's Finest Choice High School. Neighbors were disturbed but not totally surprised.

Laura Jordan, a neighbor told CBS News Colorado, "it's kind of shocking to see what it's graduated to. There's lots of children and an alternative school across the street." She added that there's a lot of suspicious behavior in the alley at night.

Just last week police cited a person for a large firework in the backyard of the home. Officers came back two days later to investigate a possible explosion and then several days later the suspected pipe bomb.

Jordan said the house has a long history with police: "16 years ago they raided this particular home. I think the people in the community thought it was over."

She did not know who was living in the house back then and added, "they really need to eradicate this and fix it for the community."

Lubotsky was released on a $5,000 bond and Gessing remains in custody. 

Two days prior to that, on June 27, Englewood police were called to the same house where it was found that a large firework had been set off in the backyard. A third suspect was cited for that incident. 

It was determined, that the pipe bomb could explode and was rendered safe by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Department bomb squad. A search warrant was executed.

Englewood police will not comment further saying this is a multijurisdictional investigation and that the FBI is involved.