Joshua Prater, Arizona High School Student, Arrested After Cleaning Woman Allegedly Finds His I.E.D.

A cleaning woman allegedly stumbled upon an improvised explosive device that, cops said, could have been deadly.

Joshua Prater, 18, was arrested after the woman found an I.E.D. while she was cleaning his family's home in Tempe, Ariz. on Tuesday, according to the Arizona Republic.

The woman called authorities who confirmed the device was a "legitimate I.E.D."

"They had it X-rayed, they saw it was a valid IED. It was something that wasn't big, but could cause serious injuries and the death of someone," Tempe Police Sgt. Mike Pooley told MyFox Phoenix.

A police report obtained by the station said Prater told cops he made the device eight years ago and "didn't know it was filled with explosive powder."

The device "was constructed from a CO2 cartridge, a fuse often used in fireworks, low explosive gunpowder, match heads and fireworks," according to court documents obtained by KPHO.

Police said they don't know why Prater built the device, but authorities swept his high school before students were allowed to attend class the next day.