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Former KSU professor told investigators he had explosive in his SUV, police say

ACWORTH, Ga. — Cobb County police say investigators will need to analyze an explosive device the bomb squad safely removed from a neighborhood in Acworth.

The explosive device was discovered by a Cobb County Sheriff’s Office investigator who executed an arrest warrant at a home on Zachary Court.

Channel 2's Chris Jose learned on Tuesday that Brent Allsup, a former Kennesaw State University part-time professor, was taken into custody.

“Pipe bomb is what the investigator described to me,” said Glenn Daniel, a spokesman for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.

Daniel said the explosive was discovered inside a Chevrolet Tahoe parked in the home’s garage.

“Once he (sheriff’s office investigator) brought him into custody, he (Allsup) stated there was a device in his vehicle and then we responded to handle the threat,” said Sarah O’Hara, Cobb County police spokeswoman. “Our bomb squad was called out. They were able to locate the device.”

Police said some homes were evacuated; other families were told to stay inside.

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“Whenever we have a threat, we want to make sure all civilian threat is removed, just to make sure if anything happens, they’re at a safe distance away,” said O’Hara.

According to an arrest warrant obtained on Tuesday by Channel 2 Action News, Allsup is facing charges of theft and making false statements.

Daniel added investigators also served a seizure warrant for the Tahoe.

The warrant stated Allsup’s “employment was terminated” by Quikrete, where he worked as a financial analyst.

The warrant alleges Allsup transferred the ownership of the Tahoe into his name. Investigators said it belonged to Quikrete.

Our investigative partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in October that Allsup resigned from KSU after he was found passed out on campus. He was arrested on drug charges and driving with an open container.

Police said Allsup is facing additional charges for the explosive device. Investigators are working to determine if the explosive is active or a decoy, police said.