KNOX — Materials found at the Knox transfer station that had appeared to be explosives were in fact props used in military drills, police say.

Joseph Adriance had found several devices with wires attached and what appeared to be a package of an explosive known as semtex-H on Saturday morning, said Chief Deputy William Rice of the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.

The items had been found in one the two rolling Dumpsters at the station’s location on 163 Street Road in Knox, he said.

According to Rice, two town workers called police on Jan. 20 at 11:02 a.m. Sheriff’s deputies arrived at 11:25 a.m., and shortly after contacted the New York State Police Bomb Disposal Unit.

Police also closed the transfer station to the public as well as part of the road leading to it, he said.

The bomb squad arrived around 12:30 p.m. and examined and X-rayed the items, determining in around 30 to 45 minutes that they were inert and safe.

Following an interview with the person who had thrown out the items, the sheriff’s office learned in a matter of hours that the devices were props used in military drills. The person who threw them away is a retired member of the military, said Rice.

Bottles that were found were empty, and the semtex-H was in fact a piece of wood with a label wrapped around it. The devices could not be used as explosives, he said.

“What was done was a complete accident … ,” said Rice. “The individual was remorseful … and apologetic, too.”

Knox resident Ed Ackroyd told The Enterprise that he was at the transfer station when the workers found the two items in the Dumpster. Ackroyd said he recognized the item instantly as an explosive.

“Whoever did the fake job did a great job, I’ll give them that,” he said.

One item was wrapped in red plastic with bold black letters spelling out “HIGH EXPLOSIVE” and “SEMTEX-H.” Ackroyd, a Vietnam War veteran, told the town workers not to touch the items and to call 9-1-1. He called the town supervisor, Vasilios Lefkaditis, who spoke to the town employees before police arrived.

What Ackroyd and the workers did not see was that, in smaller print, at the top of the fake explosive are the words “INERT/INERTE/FAUX,” indicating the item was not real.

Ackroyd credits the town employees for handling the situation well, and the restaurant Knox Market, where the trio waited as police occupied the transfer station, closing it off to the public.

“They donated a coffee to us,” he said.​