Ceres Police are still investigating the origins of an improvised explosive device (IED) found at George Costa Fields during a special Saturday softball tournament.

The game was halted when someone discovered an IED in the restroom at Costa Fields in Smyrna Park and Ceres Police evacuated the facility as well as cordoned off a safety perimeter.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal team was called to the scene and was able to confirm that the device was an explosive. The device was rendered safe and removed from the scene and destroyed in a remote location.

The discovery was made at 3:43 p.m. and disrupted the 3 p.m. game taking place between Central Valley High School and Beyer High School as part of the Bill Evans Memorial Scholarship/Ceres High School Softball Tournament.

Ceres Police are investigating the case to determine who placed the device and a motive. Police did not disclose the nature of the homemade device.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Sgt. Trenton Johnson at (209) 538-5672.

The term IED came into common usage during the Iraq War that began in 2003. Because they are improvised, IEDs can come in many forms, ranging from a small pipe bomb to a sophisticated device capable of causing massive damage and loss of life. IEDs can be carried or delivered in a vehicle; carried, placed, or thrown by a person; delivered in a package; or concealed on the roadside.