Plot To Blow Up Rural King?
Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 10:03 pm
Yesterday morning, a 62-year-old local walked into an Evansville Rural King store and asked if he could leave his knapsack at the service counter while he shopped. The clerk jokingly asked him if it was a bomb and he jokingly replied "don't worry... it won't go off until I leave"... and went to the back of the store to shop. Here's the text of the newspaper article that appeared on an inside page today:
Police blow up bag in store parking lot
By JOHN MARTIN Courier & Press staff writer 464-7594 or jmartin@evansville.net
May 26, 2005
A hardware store customer allegedly suggested to a store clerk Wednesday that his camouflage duffel bag contained a bomb, leading to the store's evacuation and the man's eventual arrest.
Jimmie Redding, 62, of Evansville faces a charge of false reporting in connection with the morning incident at Rural King, 2300 E. Morgan Ave.
The small duffel bag contained some wire, but nothing that could be called dangerous or explosive, police said. The bag was blown up in the store parking lot by a remote-controlled robot that Evansville police recently bought with federal Homeland Security funds.
Police arrived at the store about 10 a.m. after a man, whom they identified as Redding, put the bag down on a counter in front of a female store clerk.
Police Sgt. Stephanie Loehrlein said the man asked the clerk to watch the bag for him. The store clerk asked in a joking manner if the bag contained a bomb.
The man replied, "It's not going off until I leave," said Loehrlein.
The clerk, startled, notified store management, who called police. The man went into the store aisles after leaving behind the duffel bag and then made a purchase at the front of the store, where he was approached by police.
Loehrlein said the man was "uncooperative and belligerent" when questioned by officers about his actions. He was taken to police headquarters, questioned and subsequently charged.
Meanwhile, back at the store, police put their new Mini-Andros robot to work.
Police cordoned off the surrounding area and steered the robot toward the duffel bag, which a Rural King employee had placed on the parking lot pavement in front of the store.
It was the first time the robot had been used in a nontraining situation, said Sgt. Andy Woods of the city police department's bomb squad.
The robot can dismantle explosive devices while humans remain at a safe distance, according to police. It was ordered through remote controls to fire a high-pressure water jet at the bag.
A loud blast echoed in the air when the bag was destroyed.
The robot "went off flawlessly. It worked exactly like it was supposed to," Loehrlein said.
Well..... the poor bastard's still in jail charged with three felonies. Soooo.... be careful what you say to moronic store clerks... even it you are just trying to be funny!
Police blow up bag in store parking lot
By JOHN MARTIN Courier & Press staff writer 464-7594 or jmartin@evansville.net
May 26, 2005
A hardware store customer allegedly suggested to a store clerk Wednesday that his camouflage duffel bag contained a bomb, leading to the store's evacuation and the man's eventual arrest.
Jimmie Redding, 62, of Evansville faces a charge of false reporting in connection with the morning incident at Rural King, 2300 E. Morgan Ave.
The small duffel bag contained some wire, but nothing that could be called dangerous or explosive, police said. The bag was blown up in the store parking lot by a remote-controlled robot that Evansville police recently bought with federal Homeland Security funds.
Police arrived at the store about 10 a.m. after a man, whom they identified as Redding, put the bag down on a counter in front of a female store clerk.
Police Sgt. Stephanie Loehrlein said the man asked the clerk to watch the bag for him. The store clerk asked in a joking manner if the bag contained a bomb.
The man replied, "It's not going off until I leave," said Loehrlein.
The clerk, startled, notified store management, who called police. The man went into the store aisles after leaving behind the duffel bag and then made a purchase at the front of the store, where he was approached by police.
Loehrlein said the man was "uncooperative and belligerent" when questioned by officers about his actions. He was taken to police headquarters, questioned and subsequently charged.
Meanwhile, back at the store, police put their new Mini-Andros robot to work.
Police cordoned off the surrounding area and steered the robot toward the duffel bag, which a Rural King employee had placed on the parking lot pavement in front of the store.
It was the first time the robot had been used in a nontraining situation, said Sgt. Andy Woods of the city police department's bomb squad.
The robot can dismantle explosive devices while humans remain at a safe distance, according to police. It was ordered through remote controls to fire a high-pressure water jet at the bag.
A loud blast echoed in the air when the bag was destroyed.
The robot "went off flawlessly. It worked exactly like it was supposed to," Loehrlein said.
Well..... the poor bastard's still in jail charged with three felonies. Soooo.... be careful what you say to moronic store clerks... even it you are just trying to be funny!
He got charged and she should be fired!
I think the cops even gave him back his mo-ped. There hasn't been a peep in the paper of on news since the first 24 hours.... however, the editorials are starting to fly.... running in favor of the 'criminal'.